Dutiful
by CaelumBlue
Summary: From the age of thirteen, Min Lee has wanted to serve her country. At age twenty, she'll finally learn the best way to do so. There's a lot to experience in between. A story of a girl growing up in the final years of Fire Lord Azulon's reign.
1. Age Thirteen

**So, this is Dutiful.**

 **This is one of those fics that sometimes barrels out of me. 10,800-ish words in 4 days. It was intense. This was sometime in early-mid May 2016. At the time I also thought it was mostly done but I wasn't quite up for polishing it yet and I somehow felt it wasn't the right time to post it. And as usual I'm glad I waited, cuz I developed a bit more worldbuilding and added some new characters and rewrote a few sections and also Coco came out in theatres, and that movie basically kept whispering in my ear that I had to finish this fic. I'm really pleased with it now. So I hope you guys find it worth the wait. I've got 8 chapters of this thing and I'm gonna try to post one a week.**

 **As usual, I have a list of warnings, but take note that none of these are graphic and most are just alluded to.**

 **WARNINGS FOR**  
 **-The Fire Nation being a bunch of jerks**  
 **-Casual Indoctrination**  
 **-Allusions to past war crimes/horrors/etc**  
 **-Allusions to PTSD**

 **Also I've completely made up how auras work, okay? I mean, I got the color meanings from the internet, but half the time those lists can't agree on what colors mean anyway. And I've basically fudged the structure of an aura. Because storytelling. And because whenever people who claim to be aura-readers try to prove their gift by reading the aura of a person hiding behind the sheet, they don't seem to notice the hidden person is actually just a mannequin. So nyah. :P**

 **This story can be taken as both Canonverse and GGverse, fyi. Timeline-wise, chapter 1 is set 13 years pre-series, 87 years post-Air Nomad genocide. Min Lee is 13, her birthday being in the last month of the year. Lu Ten and Kenta are about a year and a half older than her.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The first time she brings up the subject, she is thirteen, and she writes it in a letter.

The Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls has always promoted a well-rounded education, and school officials understand the importance of providing their pupils with the proper curriculum. Students at the Academy are gifted with vast amounts of knowledge - the arts, history, science, mathematics, philosophy - anything they might need to know as adults, the Academy provides them with. Their alumnae, after all, are the Fire Nation's future leaders. Min Lee of Kohimori Island is no exception.

Since Sozin began the Great March of Civilization eighty-seven years ago, the Academy has expanded its curriculum to include relevant subjects - strategy, tactics, geography, supply chain management, colonial government. Things that help keep the clockwork of the war running smoothly.

At thirteen, Min Lee is just beginning to realize the vast scope of her nation's mission. She is in awe of both how much they've managed to accomplish, and how much more they hope to - and _will_ \- achieve. In eighty-seven years, they've done so much for the world - invented new technologies, expanded trade routes, boosted the economy. Not to mention how much of the Earth Kingdom they've freed from its ineffective and absent ruler, who never bothers leaving his walled city, and helped them form better, more centralized governments that serve the people. There is still more to do - the Air Nomads might be wiped out and the Water Tribes hardly bear thinking of, but there is still much more Earth Kingdom land waiting to be assimilated, not to mention the great city of Ba Sing Se itself. With any luck, the world will be safely in the Fire Nation's keeping before the return of Sozin's Comet.

Min Lee is young and impressionable and eager to be a part of her country's quest, though she is not certain how much use she could be. She dreams of leading troops into battle, of bringing glory and honor to her family and nation with her conquests, but she's not sure if those dreams could become reality. When one of her teachers mentions that the military is always looking for new officers, and any Academy student would be a valuable asset to her nation, Min Lee points out, "But I'm not a bender." All the greatest leaders of the Fire Nation military are benders - Fire Lord Sozin, Fire Lord Azulon, Fire Lady Ilah, Prince Iroh, Princess Janya, General Kilohana, Admiral Jeong Jeong. Min Lee doesn't hold a candle to a single one of them.

Her teacher's eyes crinkle in a smile. "Young lady, that makes no difference! Some of our bravest soldiers and best officers are nonbenders! And besides, isn't your uncle Daimyo Shigeru of Kohimori Island?"

Min Lee nods. Her uncle is the lord of their island, though he isn't a Firebender - that gift had gone to his younger brother, Min Lee's father. But despite his lack of bending, Uncle Shigeru is still talented - he has no small skill with a sword, is a master at chi-blocking, and he can see spirits and auras just as well as Min Lee can.

"Then you ought to know how important he was in the Final Annexation of Nanyue," her teacher says. "Just as important a role as your Firebender father, Lord Masao. They're both heroes."

This is news to Min Lee, who has never heard her father or uncle speak much of their years in service or their time on campaign in Nanyue. All that Min Lee knows about Nanyue itself is that it was an Earth Kingdom province that had stubbornly clung to its old ways until the Fire Nation had finally sent the military in full force to free it from its tyrannical rulers. She knows that her father and uncle - and even her aunt - were there, but she would never have guessed that they'd been important in that victory, let alone heroes.

"Did you know our dads are heroes?" she asks her cousin Kenta the next day. They're in the palace gardens because Lu Ten has invited them over for a study session. Schoolwork is less tedious with friends, and nothing is more motivational than the knowledge that one of those friends is the future of the Fire Nation and that your own education will help him lead your nation to greatness. Also, there are snacks.

" _Our_ dads?" Kenta asks around a mouthful of fire flakes, brow furrowing. "Since when are they heroes?"

"Since Nanyue, apparently," Min Lee shrugs.

"Wait," Lu Ten says from where he's monitoring a teapot, "how do you guys not _know?"_

"Dad and Uncle Shigeru don't talk about their service much," Min Lee says. "Neither does Aunt Ryoko. I know they were all _at_ Nanyue, I just...don't know what they did there."

"Wow," Lu Ten says, pouring out the tea and handing over two cups. "I know my dad likes your family cuz they aren't pretentious self-centered glory hunters, but I didn't realize they were _that_ modest. They never tell war stories? At all?"

"No," Min Lee says, looking at the tea. It's a lovely-looking jasmine and it smells nice, but next time Lu Ten invites them over to study she's bringing coffee, which is even lovelier and smells divine and is far more energizing. "Does yours?"

Lu Ten grins. "All the time!"

"Lucky," Kenta huffs. He sounds a mite jealous. Min Lee feels the same. Of course _General Iroh_ would regale his son with tales from the front.

"He's got some _really_ funny ones about the Northern Water Tribe sieges," Lu Ten says. He takes a long sip of tea.

"What about Nanyue?" Min Lee asks.

"Oh, yeah, he's got lots of those," Lu ten grins. "The one about how he defeated General Chien Trung is my favorite...but I'm guessing you want to know about your dads," he adds.

"No," Kenta drawls, "we really want to hear about how awesome _your_ dad is."

Lu Ten rolls his eyes and grabs a handful of fireflakes, which he munches on while he thinks. "Okay," he says eventually, "so from what I know from Dad's stories, your dads played a big part in finishing off the Nanyuese army."

Kenta and Min Lee lean forward. " _Really?"_ Kenta asks, his aura a deep, grounded red washed over with insecure brown and just the slightest tinge of jealous green. Min Lee doesn't blame him for his colors - she's still finding this hard to believe herself.

"Yeah, really," Lu Ten says. "Dad was really pleased when he realized I'd made friends with you guys. He told me _all about_ your family. Like, specific stuff about your family, not just how awesome your grandmother was...sorry, sorry!" he adds quickly when Min Lee winces.

"It's okay," Min Lee mutters, but Lu Ten still looks guilty. It's been less than two years since Grandma Masami's murder and he knows she's still sensitive about it. She just wishes she could forget the _scream_ Aunt Ryoko had loosed when she'd found the body.

"Our dads?" Kenta prompts, shooting a quick look at Min Lee.

"Right, right," Lu Ten says, happy to steer them them back to the original subject. "Okay, so. Dad says that mudslugs are super stubborn, so even after he shot General Chien full of lightning and Generals Nguyet and Kym killed themselves cuz they didn't want to surrender to my mom, the army kept fighting, right? And they barricaded themselves inside the city. Would've been super easy to just starve them out, but General Nguyet's son and his family were inside. Dad was worried he'd be just as tough an opponent as the rest of his family had been, and my mom didn't want to waste tons of time on one city when they had a whole region to conquer, and Grandpa wanted Nanyue done with as soon as possible. So they started planning to attack the place, and that's where your dad came in." He nodded at Kenta.

"And what did my dad _do?"_ Kenta asked.

Lu Ten grinned. "Major Shigeru - well, no, wait, I guess he was just a captain at this point? Oh, whatever. Major Shigeru's got gray eyes."

"What does _that_ have to do with any - "

"So he gathered up a squad of colonial soldiers with green eyes, right? And they disguised themselves in Nanyuese armor and snuck into the city at night - apparently it was _really easy,_ the place was such a chaotic mess - and no one paid any attention to these people with most of their faces wrapped up cuz hey, their eyes weren't yellow! And Major Shigeru spent the whole night sneaking around the city - I guess he was good at it cuz of that sixth sense of his?"

"Aura vision," Kenta corrects with an eyeroll.

"Spirit sight," Min Lee corrects further.

"Right, whatever. That and your family's weird talent for climbing and jumping and sneaking around like ninjas since you've all been climbing trees like crazy hogmonkeys for generations. So Major Shigeru avoids most of the Nanyuese soldiers and the ones he doesn't don't notice him and his group, and the next evening he goes back to my mom and dad with a map of the place."

"So...my dad was a spy?" Kenta asks, nose wrinkled. It's an important job, but it's _not_ a glamorous role. Certainly not as glorious as leading troops into battle.

"Just for one night," Lu Ten is quick to assure him. "And if your dad hadn't gotten the information our army needed, who knows what would've happened? This was General Nguyet's _son_ they were dealing with - if they didn't take him out quick, the Nanyuese army might've managed to rally _again."_

"Huh," Kenta says, mollified. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right!" Lu Ten says. "Your dad got the intel we needed, our army attacked the morning after, and they took over the city easily! And _that's_ where your dad - well, both your dads - led their troops into battle. They were there with my dad when he forced the last of the Trungs to surrender."

Min Lee gapes. "Wait - Dad and Uncle Shigeru were _there - ?"_ Min Lee may not know much about Nanyue, but anyone who knows anything about Nanyue knows about the Trungs, and anyone who knows anything about the Trungs knows the major threat they posed to the Fire Nation's victory. Of course the _really_ infamous ones were dead by that point, and Min Lee can't even remember the name of General Nguyet Trung's son, but the thought of her father and uncle having been anywhere _near_ any of that family is mind-boggling.

"Yeah!" Lu Ten grins. "Dad says he and Mom specifically requested them to come help apprehend them. They knew _all_ about your family's chi-blocking skills, and Dad wanted to take at least _some_ Trungs alive so they could execute them properly. Your dads' chi-blocking made it possible!"

Min Lee thinks of her own chi-blocking skills, remembers her teacher's reassurance that being a nonbender doesn't mean she can't still serve her country. She didn't realize she might be able to serve so _effectively._

Kenta is staring at Lu Ten, his disbelieving expression at odds with the trust radiating from his aura. Lu Ten is their friend - he wouldn't lie to them. "I had no idea Dad and Uncle Masao were such a big deal."

"They were," Lu Ten nods. "Dad says my mom was so impressed she gave your dads promotions. And then she sent Major Shigeru off with the fleet up the river to help make sure the rest of the region was conquered. And Lieutenant Masao stayed with my parents and helped with the mopping up actions. So yeah, your dads are heroes."

"I had no idea," Kenta says again.

Lu Ten shrugs. "Well, like I said, my dad likes your dads cuz they aren't braggarts."

"That's fine," Kenta says. "I just wish Dad would _talk_ about this kind of stuff."

Min Lee thinks about it. "Maybe he would if we _asked."_

The next letter she writes home details how much she's learned of the glory of her nation, how she's coming to realize that she is merely a small part of a much greater machine, and how she wants to help advance their Great March. She wants to do her duty. She wants to be a hero, just like them.

Her father's response is filled with rambling cautions - of course she can do her duty to her nation, but she must first consider what that duty _is_. Wanting to go out on the front lines is all well and good, but there are so many who are capable of such service - how many could say the same of running an island clan? Kenta will need help governing their home when he's older, so Min Lee herself might find her time better used by studying politics and philosophy - things that would make her a good leader. Her eagerness to serve is a good and admirable thing, but she needs to consider where her service will be most needed.

Her uncle's letter is shorter, stark and simple. He tells Min Lee that there's more to war than glory. He says he wouldn't call himself a hero.

When Min Lee relates the information to her teacher, the woman beams. "That is _humility_ , my dear."

"Wow," Lu Ten says when she reads him and Kenta the letter. He's more interested in it than he is in the coffee Min Lee and Kenta had insisted on bringing and making themselves. He has a cup of it in his hands, but he hasn't had a single sip yet. "I can see why my dad likes him. Your dad is _way_ better than Uncle Ozai's favorite officers. They never stop talking about how great they are."

"Modesty isn't so great when it gets in the way of family history," Kenta huffs, blowing steam off his coffee.

"Maybe we need to ask in person," Min Lee says, tucking the letter back into her pocket and leaning back against the tree trunk. She's lounging above the boys on a branch, gazing up at the canopy. The palace's trees are pitifully short compared to the ones in the forest back home on Kohimori, but they're better than nothing. Climbing makes her happy, and heights help clear her head.

"Maybe," Kenta says, but he doesn't sound convinced. "But...I don't know, Min. He's never talked about it before, and he doesn't even like talking about me _joining_ the army."

" _What?"_ Lu Ten blurts.

The look Kenta shoots at Lu Ten is wary. "Well...yeah, he doesn't really…" He trails off. Min Lee immediately swings down from her perch to sit beside her cousin. She gives him an encouraging look, and Kenta sighs. "Every time I try to bring it up he says we'll talk about it when I'm older."

"...We're almost fifteen," Lu Ten says. The age of conscription is sixteen.

Kenta hunches in on himself a bit. "Yeah. I know." He hesitates. "Look, it's not that he's a coward or anything, he's just…" He trails off, watching Lu Ten helplessly. It's an honor to return to the Fire Nation with war wounds - physical proof of the sacrifice you made for your country, and proof of your own strength in survival. Less honorable are the soldiers who return with perfectly able bodies and less-than-able minds. There are many terms to describe such afflictions - rock shock, melancholia, and combat stress to name a few, but the most common is _cowardice._ It's not unheard of for loyal soldiers to suddenly turn cowards. Not unheard of, but not often talked about. No one wants to admit that such a thing might have occurred in _their_ family.

And here Min Lee and Kenta are, telling the Fire Lord's grandson that the head of their house doesn't like talking about the war.

Lu Ten just looks thoughtful, though. "I know he's not a coward," he says. "Actually, it...kinda makes sense he might not want you to go off fighting right now."

Kenta frowns. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

It's Lu Ten's turn to hesitate. "Well, it's just...uh...look - you guys have had a _bad_ year, okay?"

Kenta's expression crumbles. "Yeah."

"Yeah," Lu Ten continues, "so I can - Min, no, I'm sorry, I'm _sorry - "_

"Shut up," she mutters, her voice more watery than she'd like as she wipes her eyes. Aunt Ryoko's scream echoes in her ears, and she recalls the look on her father's face when he'd challenged Lady Ayako of the Shiroboshi Clan to an Agni Kai.

Lu Ten's hands are fluttering ineffectually around her shoulders, like he isn't sure if touching her would help or just further her breakdown. "I didn't mean to make you cry!"

"Oh my Agni, Lu, just hug her, it helps," Kenta says, his own voice suspiciously wavering, and then Min Lee finds herself sandwiched between her two best friends.

"I mean, if you need to cry, just...just go ahead and cry, it helps," Lu Ten says, his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders. "But you two have cried _enough_ this year."

It wasn't just Grandma Masami whom they'd lost. Her death had been unexpected, her murder a complete shock. Father had won the Agni Kai, Grandma had been avenged, and Fire Lord Azulon had demoted half the Shiroboshi Clan and banished the other half to the lowliest of the colonies, but in the end it was a hollow victory. Grandma was still dead, and her assassins had stolen away more than just _her_ life. Great-Grandpa Shoichi had only lasted half a year after his daughter's death - long enough to see little Ty Lee born. They'd found him cold and gray in his bed one morning, and while it was easy to say he'd lived a good long life, Min Lee had seen her great-grandfather's aura those last few months. The old man had been heartbroken at the loss of his only child. A month after he'd gone, his younger sister had followed - Auntie Chou had missed her brother as surely as Great-Grandpa Shoichi had missed his daughter, and she'd passed on quietly in her sleep. And then, just a few months ago now, Grandpa Kurou had died as well - complications from the poor health he'd suffered since Grandma Masami's murder.

And as though the sudden loss of two entire generations of their family hadn't been enough, there are still plenty of political difficulties to deal with. Uncle Shigeru is completely in charge of Kohimori Island now, with only Father and Aunt Ryoko to help him rule. It hasn't been easy.

"Look," Lu Ten says when Min Lee's sniffles have died down. His arm is still wrapped around her, his hand resting on Kenta's shoulder. "Your family's lost _a lot_ in the past year. I'm not gonna blame Major Shigeru if he's feeling a little paranoid about sending his only kid off to war."

Kenta sighs. "That's a good point."

"But I'm sure he'll let you go," Lu Ten adds, shooting Kenta a bright grin. "I mean, he _has_ to. You're nobility, it's practically required. And if he's _still_ that worried a year from now, I'll just order him to let you go."

Min Lee giggles through the last of her tears. "Can you _do_ that?" she asks, wiping her eyes.

"Maybe?" Lu Ten shrugs. "Or my dad could. But I'm sure your dad will come around. Just give him some time. And...I think you should try asking him and Lieutenant Masao about their service. Remind them of all the good they did. It might be hard getting them to talk if they're really that modest, but...well, humility doesn't stop people from telling you stuff. Just try asking."

The next time Min Lee goes home to Kohimori, she tries to talk to her family about Nanyue. One by one, she finds them all reluctant to discuss even the slightest bit.

"Nanyue?" Father repeats, bouncing little Ty Lee in his arms. "It really wasn't that exciting, Min. Are you still worried about serving? Because what I wrote still stands - I'd really like you to _think_ about where your service would be most efficiently used, and honestly your people need you more than the battlefield does."

"But I just wanted to know - "

"It was hot, gross, boring, lethally exciting, and then boring again. That pretty much sums up war, kiddo. Anyway, I'm trying to get your sister here down for a nap…" It's a valid excuse - the baby's eyes are blinking drowsily, and Min Lee knows how hard it is to get the excitable little girl to lie still and _sleep._ She goes off to see if someone else wants to talk.

" _Nanyue?"_ Aunt Ryoko says, startling out of her contemplation of Auntie Chou's ancient pie recipe - a family secret that the old woman had thankfully _not_ taken to her urn. The kitchen counters are covered with flour and utensils and an entire bowl of coffee cherries - Aunt Ryoko must be stress baking then. She's been doing that a lot lately. "Why are you asking me about Nanyue?"

"Lu Ten says Father and Uncle Shigeru are heroes and I know all about how they helped us win" - lies, she only knows what Lu Ten and her teachers have told her - "but - well, I was curious. What did _you_ do there?"

Aunt Ryoko blinks once, twice, three times. "Nothing of importance, really," she says. "Fought in a few battles, and then I stayed well behind the front lines to help maintain control while most of the army marched onward. It wasn't that interesting." She snatches up the bowl of cherries and begins mashing them up to make the filling for the pie's gooey center. Her aura is turning agitated, so Min Lee leaves her to the baking.

She goes to find Uncle Shigeru with the hope that he'll be more forthcoming. She asks him to talk about Nanyue. He refuses.

"Please, Min," he says when she pries, his eyes crinkled and mouth tense. Shades of gray and sulfur tinge the colors of his aura. He doesn't look humble - he looks haunted. "I don't want to think about it."

She lets the subject drop.

* * *

 **Okay there we go, chapter one. Hope you enjoyed it! If you like please leave a review, those always make my day!**

 **Next chapter will hopefully be up sometime next week.**

 **You can follow me on tumblr at gilded-green or caelum-in-the-avatarverse. I promise I'll have a family tree for Kohimori's ruling family posted sometime in the near future because otherwise you'll all probably cry at me. XD**

 **Uhhhhhh let's see, notes, notes...**

 **If you're wondering what Nanyue is, it's an event I completely fabricated in my headcanon, and you can find more details in my stories Bright and Bitter, Pure and Sweet and Better Left Unsaid.**

 **Shiroboshi is Japanese (** **白星** **) "white star", Sumo wrestling term to designate a bout victory.**

 **Kohimori literally means "coffee forest" in Japanese.**

 **Also I feel the obligatory need to point out that The Fire Nation Is Not Japan but dangit the fanon runs strong and I need more languages and words to pull from when doing worldbuilding and my Fire Nation headcanon is a hopeless cultural mishmash at this point anyway. And to that end I've decided to use the term "daimyo" to designate a Fire Nation clan's head, since Lord and Lady just weren't cutting it.**

 **Regarding the Fire Nation propaganda machine, I'd like to point out that Earth King Kuei is currently a 12-year-old (omg he's Aang's age) but FN propoganda don't care for technicalities and also even if this was an adult Earth Monarch they were up against Kuei claims that "no Earth King has ever been to the Outer Wall!" or something along those lines so like, honestly, the Fire Nation convincing itself that they gotta help the EK get away from whichever absent idiot ruler they have this decade feels pretty likely.**

 **So there you go, next chapter will be posted sometime next week, and seriously if you liked this please leave me a review it'd make my day I don't care if you're reading 10 years from now reviews are great and I love them. :D**


	2. Age Fourteen

**Meh, posting this late here cuz I had a bit of a roadtrip last week and then I was tired and good ol' fanfictiondotnet has a TERRIBLE user interface in terms of story posting and I didn't wanna deal with it. :P**

 **An enormous thank you to Stingrae for being a fantastic beta, btw. Totally forgot to put that in Chapter 1. ^_^"**

 **Warnings in this chapter for some pretty strong allusions to PTSD and past war crimes, tho it's not explicit, unless you've read any of my other fics involving Nanyuese survivors and then you know exactly what war crimes we're not-referencing here...**

 **I am still making up the aura thing as I goooo~**

 **Also we get some family history in this one and a bunch of names. I've got a family tree up on the gilded-green tumblr now so feel free to check it out.**

* * *

When she is fourteen, she wants to talk to her uncle about the war again - as a fellow nonbender, she thinks his experience would be the most useful for her to hear - but she knows better than to try. Uncle Shigeru is already tense and angry at his own son - Kenta is a year older than Min Lee, a year away from adulthood, and has been adamantly petitioning his parents to allow him to join the army once he's of age. Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko are less than thrilled at his eagerness to serve, though Min Lee and Kenta can't understand why.

So she doesn't talk to her uncle - he and Kenta are currently arguing out in the garden, anyway - but she and her father are hiding in the kitchen, so she talks to him.

"What was it like?" she asks.

"What was what like?" Father asks, taking a bite of the gooey fruit pie they're sharing. Aunt Ryoko had stress-baked it after yesterday's bout of arguing - if nothing else, Kenta's ongoing crusade is keeping the family well-stocked with delicious desserts. These days Aunt Ryoko knows the recipe by heart and could do it in her sleep - she doesn't even need to _look_ at the instructions Auntie Chou had written on a yellowed slip of paper detailing the old recipe that's been in the family longer than the war has, passed down from generation to generation and made with the coffee cherries that grow in their forest.

"Serving in Nanyue," Min Lee says.

Father stops mid-chew, and his strained-but-cheerful aura suddenly plummets into dull grays. He stares into the middle distance for a moment before finally swallowing. He grabs a cup of coffee and takes a long sip. "Why do you want to know?" he asks at last.

That isn't the opening Min Lee had been hoping for, but she'll take it. "I'll be sixteen soon," she begins.

"Two years," Father insists, like that matters. You can't stave off time.

"And I've been thinking about recruitment, and what I want to do," she continues. "Kenta's going to be in the army - "

"That remains to be seen."

"He _has_ to be, if he wants to have any political standing," Min Lee reminds him. It's Kenta's main arguing point, and a strong one at that. All up-and-coming young nobles are expected to serve. If Uncle Shigeru doesn't want to doom his son to the skepticism of the court, he'll have to let him fight. "And everyone in our family has served in the war! You and Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko were at Nanyue, and Grandma served even though she was an only child and _the heir,_ and Great-Grandpa and Auntie Chou fought the Northern Water Tribe, and - and Great-Great-Uncle Toshi _died_ in the Battle of Garsai!"

"Missing in action," Father mutters automatically. "He went missing in action."

Min Lee shrugs. It's been nearly seventy years since Uncle Toshi's disappearance - whether he was killed or just went missing has been a moot point for a long time. But Great-Grandpa Shoichi and Auntie Chou had been greatly affected by their little brother's supposed death, and during their lives _missing in action_ had been a repeated phrase the few times he'd come up in conversation, the words murmured like a prayer.

"Anyway," Min Lee says quietly. "I know you want me to dedicate myself to learning how to be a better leader for our people, but...everyone else has fought in the war. I want to, too."

Father grimaces and has another sip of coffee. "Do you really," he mutters, his aura dejected blue and fearful gray.

Min Lee doesn't like those colors on her father at all, but she waits patiently for whatever he will say next. It's silent in the kitchen for a while, save for Kenta and Uncle Shigeru's voices drifting in from the garden. She can't make out the words, but the tone is tense as ever. Other than that, it's quiet. Min Lee nibbles on her pie. Father sips his coffee. The sunlight streams through the windows, the sort that only comes in late afternoon, warm and golden and cozy. Min Lee watches the dust motes dance in the sunbeams, and out of the corner of her eye, in a particularly golden ray of light, she catches the vague, washed-out image of a yellow-clad woman with long brown hair.

So Sunshine is here to visit. Min Lee wonders what their resident ghost wants.

The dead woman is sitting on the counter, chin propped in her hands, watching Min Lee and Father with an oddly tired expression. Or maybe it's just boredom - her eyes occasionally flicker toward the door to the garden and the argument taking place outside. Not exactly the best choice of entertainment, but Min Lee supposes if she was dead she'd take what she could get, too.

"So," Father says suddenly. He takes no notice of Sunshine - he has no spirit sight. "Do you want to fight because everyone else in the family has?"

"That's _one_ reason," Min Lee says.

"Because," Father continues, "you realize you don't _have_ to, right? There's options. If... _if_ Kenta does join the army, you and your sisters really wouldn't have to. I mean, you don't have to anyway, but you shouldn't feel pressured to. I mean…" He struggles with his words for a moment, and then he says, "We don't _need_ the entire generation going off to war."

"You and Uncle Shigeru both went."

"Yes," Father sighs, "and looking back, one of us should probably have stayed home." He thinks for a moment before adding, "Probably Shigeru."

It's the first time Min Lee has ever heard anyone say _anything_ along the lines of wishing they hadn't served, and she stares at her father.

"What?" he asks defensively. "I mean it. Both of us going was...overkill. One of us should've just stayed home and helped our mother run the island, and seeing as Shigeru was the heir…" He shrugs. "It would've made sense. We didn't both need to go."

"Great-Grandpa and _both_ of his siblings served," Min Lee points out, regaining her footing.

"Yes, well," Father says, suddenly very absorbed in his coffee. "That was...uh...an attempt to save face. There were...issues, for the family, when the war started. Um. Yeah."

Out of the corner of her eye, Min Lee sees Sunshine shift in the sunbeams, still watching them. "Is this that...whatever it was Grandma would grumble about?" she asks. "The thing with Great-Grandpa Shoichi's parents?" No one's ever been too clear on _what,_ exactly, happened with her great-great-grandparents, Daimyo Akihiko and Lady Mika, but she knows they hadn't been well-liked by Fire Lord Sozin. The few times they'd been brought up in Min Lee's lifetime, Grandma Masami and Great-Grandpa Shoichi had gotten extremely tense with each other.

Father sips his coffee. "Probably? Like I said, there were issues."

"What kind of issues?"

"...I don't know?" Father admits, his aura soft blue with truth. "No one ever told me. Daimyo Akihiko and Lady Mika died when I was young - I only ever knew them as loving great-grandparents. My mother and grandfather never wanted to explain why Fire Lord Sozin wasn't fond of them. But whatever problems they had with Fire Lord Sozin, it's why your grandmother always felt such a need to maintain our loyalty to Fire Lord Azulon."

Min Lee frowns. "Does...does _anyone_ have any idea what happened back then?"

Father grimaces. "My mother did. And my grandfather, and Auntie Chou." All of whom are dead now. "Whatever it was, my mother wanted it burned and forgotten. It looks like she got that wish."

In the corner of her eye, Min Lee sees Sunshine idly lift herself off the counter so she could hover in a particularly golden ray of light. The hem of her skirts hangs a few inches off the floor as she floats there, footless. "So we're just...never going to know anything about that," Min Lee says.

"We probably won't ever know the whole of it, no," Father sighs. "Not that I'm sure it matters...Mother did a good job of restoring the family's reputation from...whatever it was. And...well, we do know the basic shape of the puzzle, I think. What do _you_ know?"

Surrounded by dancing dust motes, Sunshine looks just as curious.

Min Lee thinks it over. "Lu Ten says that his father says that Fire Lord Azulon says that Fire Lord Sozin had some problems with them, but he doesn't know what. And I know that Grandma proved the family's loyalty to Fire Lord Azulon's satisfaction when Prince Iroh was born."

"My mother _was_ an opportunistic politician," Father hums fondly. Prince Iroh's birth so late in Fire Lord Azulon's life had completely disrupted the then-current line of succession. Fire Lord Azulon's nephew had taken the opportunity to start a civil war...and Grandma Masami had taken the opportunity to make that civil war _very_ short-lived and get herself and her family back into the Fire Lord's good graces.

"And then Fire Lord Azulon reinstated our reputation," Min Lee continued, "and everything's alright now and whatever happened a hundred years ago doesn't matter anymore." That much she _definitely_ knows, because she'd heard Grandma Masami talk about it a lot. Not that she was supposed to. Daimyo Masami had been nothing short of doting when it came to her grandchildren, but she'd been a stern mother to her sons and an unyielding leader of their family and their island. There'd been a few times in her childhood that Min Lee had been up late and just happened to overhear her grandmother arguing with Father or Uncle Shigeru about something or other, and every time she'd snap angrily about how hard she'd worked and how much she'd sacrificed to restore the family's good name and high standing and if they brought dishonor upon their house then _so help her ancestors..._

Sometimes Min Lee wonders if Grandma Masami had just been overdramatic, but she doesn't think so. Her grandmother's aura had always been heavily clouded in strong red, powerful orange, and focused yellow. Whatever had happened in the past, Grandma had dealt with it. So effectively that she'd taken it to her urn, even.

"Yeah," Father sighs. "That's about what I know, too." He has another sip of coffee.

"Are we illegitimate?" Min Lee asks balefully.

Father chokes on his coffee. " _Min!"_ he groans, but he's laughing, and his aura has finally lightened up. The sight makes Min Lee smile.

Sunshine is watching both of them with a wide smile herself, and Min Lee hopes the ghost is suitably entertained. An odd thing to hope, perhaps, but Sunshine is surprisingly pleasant for a dead woman. Most ghosts tend to be violent, vengeful, or sad, but in all her years haunting the family, Sunshine has generally just been friendly. No one ever minds having her around; everyone likes her well enough.

Well, Grandma Masami hadn't. Since her death, Sunshine has been showing up more often.

When he stops laughing, Father looks pensive. "You know," he says, "come to think of it...I can remember Grandpa calling her Mika."

Min Lee frowns. "Great-Grandpa Shoichi called his mother by her name?"

"Yeah. Huh," Father says, contemplating his coffee. "Well, whatever was going on back then, it's over, done, and forgotten now. Your grandmother was scarily effective." He has another sip.

There are footsteps from the door that leads out to the garden, and then Kenta and Uncle Shigeru come into the kitchen. Kenta shoots Min Lee a grin - he came out the stronger in the argument, then. Min Lee grins back. Hopefully her cousin will have his father's blessing soon. Uncle Shigeru, in contrast, looks tired and downcast and resigned.

"Would you two like any pie?" Father asks, already cutting extra slices.

"Thank you, Uncle Masao!" Kenta says, grabbing a plate.

Uncle Shigeru doesn't answer. He's staring at the beam of light Sunshine is floating in. To Kenta and Father, he must appear to be staring at nothing, but Min Lee can see that he and the ghost are sharing a look.

Uncle Shigeru has always been Sunshine's favorite. He says it's because he's the first person who ever saw her. No one knows how long she's been around or if she was haunting them before anyone took notice, but Uncle Shigeru says he first met her around the same time Aunt Ryoko got pregnant with Kenta. Sunshine comes and goes as she pleases and seems fond of everyone in the family whether they can see her or not, but with Uncle Shigeru she seems to have a relationship that might actually pass as _friendship._ She visits him more than she does anyone else - hovering at his side throughout the day, and keeping him company in his office during long nights.

In the years since Grandma had died, Uncle Shigeru's nights have become longer, and Sunshine's visits have become more frequent.

"Shigeru?" Father asks, pressing a pie-laden plate to his brother's hand.

Shigeru blinks down at it. "Ah," he says, taking the plate. "Thank you." He stares at the food for a moment before looking back at Sunshine. "Coffee?"

"Here," Father says, pouring a cup. He hands it to Uncle Shigeru, studying his brother's face.

"Thank you," Uncle Shigeru says, and he takes the pie and the coffee and he leaves the room.

Father looks torn between following him and asking Kenta for answers, but Uncle Shigeru clearly wanted to be alone, and Kenta is smugly eating pie. In the end, he does neither - just leans against the counter with a sigh and continues sipping his coffee.

Min Lee wants to ask Kenta how it went - surely the argument had gone in his favor, given his triumphant aura - but when she looks at him he merely raises his eyebrows and smirks before going back to his pie. She can ask later, then. He clearly wants to tell her, but he'd rather wait for them to be alone.

An awkward silence descends upon the kitchen. Father's aura is heading back into those muted grays, and several times he looks like he's going to say something before he opts for taking another sip of coffee instead. Min Lee and Kenta both generously pretend not to notice. Min Lee finishes her pie and gives Kenta a pointed look, and he rolls his eyes before shoveling more of his own in his mouth. The faster he gets through it, the faster they can get out of the kitchen and talk. Finally, he finishes, and Min Lee practically drags him away. The dishes are left on the counter for the servants, and Father is left with his coffee and gloomy aura. As they leave the kitchen, Min Lee notices that Sunshine has disappeared.

She catches sight of the ghost a few minutes later, as she and Kenta head back to their rooms. Uncle Shigeru is kneeling before the family shrine, quietly praying while his pie and coffee sit on the altar, an offering to their ancestors. Kenta grimaces and walks past quickly and quietly, doing his best to pretend he doesn't see his father. Min Lee follows after him without hesitation, but she does shoot a curious look as she walks by. Sunshine is standing behind Uncle Shigeru's kneeling form, gazing down on him and the shrine.

If Min Lee had to name the emotion she thinks she sees in the ghost's eyes, it would be sadness.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review if you did, I always appreciate it. :D**

 **Some notes:**

 **Coffee cherries are a real thing! Coffee beans are the seeds of coffee cherries and they get roasted and ground up into what we call coffee. The cherry part of the plant doesn't get exported so much but from what I understand it makes a tasty juice. Back in 2010 when I learned that coffee came from cherries I just had this moment of "oh my god that would be PERFECT FOR TY LEE" and that was the start of my development of the Kohimori clan.**

 **Kenta just wants to burn things and enforce Fire Nation imperialism, is that too much to ask? Don't worry in a few years all he'll REALLY want is a hot cup of coffee and the end of all snow.**

 **The battle of Garsai is a legit canon thing that was mentioned during Azulon's funeral and we don't know when it took place exactly so I took the opportunity to place it sometime early on in Azulon's reign and then used it to kill off one of Min's ancestors. :P Alas poor Toshi, we hardly knew ye. (But this is me we're talking about so we'll probably meet him at SOME point...)**

 **We finally get to meet Sunshine, the Most Boring Ghost Ever who was briefly mentioned in Weather's Frightful, But Fire's Delightful! I am sure she is completely unimportant and will have no impact on Min Lee's character development whatsoever.**

 **Annnnnnnnnd we finally get a glimpse of the hardass that was Min Lee's grandmother Daimyo Masami. I don't know that I'll ever write a story centered around her, but I DO have some very specific headcanons on the Fire Nation's terrible ascension planning and the tension that would've surrounded Iroh's late birth and also how Fire Nation politics progressed over the course of the war so maybe she'll feature in a Royal Family-centric story someday or I'll just write out a bunch of bullet points of how the very brief civil war went down.**

 **As always, you can follow me on tumblr at gilded-green or caelum-in-the-avatarverse. I think there's an Avatar community rewatch coming up soon? So I might get involved in that. That could be fun.**

 **And check out the family tree!** **I'm sorry I have so many OCs except I'm not sorry at all**


	3. Age Fifteen

**Still cannot BELIEVE I posted the first two chapters of this story over on AO3 and forgot to mention Stingrae! My beta, my soundboard, my co-conspirator, my BFF! This entire story has been lovingly beta'd by Stingrae and honestly I would've given up on writing fanfiction back in 2009 if it hadn't been for her, so THANK YOU STINGRAE YOU'RE THE BEST!**

 **Also thanks y'all for waiting 'til Wednesday for me to post this, I'm gonna be posting back on Wednesdays now I think since I actually have off then.**

 **This chapter is no worse than the last two, so basic warnings about allusions to PTSD and past war crimes apply, plus one for Caelum playing hard and fast with Fire Nation worldbuilding and cultural inspiration. Now go enjoy chapter 3.**

* * *

The third time she brings the subject up, she is fifteen, and recruitment is less than a year away.

Fire Nation law demands that every citizen serve the country for at least the first few years of adulthood. There are plenty of options to choose from - the army, the navy, the guard. Many go on to make a living of it even after their required service is over - the military is always in need of more soldiers, and joining up is a surefire way to get a lifelong job. For some it just becomes a way of life after those first years of service. And for a few it becomes an illustrious career as they climb their way to the top to become successful generals and admirals, bringing glory and honor to the Fire Nation, and being rewarded for their hard work with high standings in the colonies. The war has been responsible for the rise of many a lower class family.

Min Lee is by no means lower class, but she still wants to make a difference for her country.

Her uncle is still wary of sending their family's children out to fight. Min Lee still can't figure out why. Maybe it's because he remembers how upset Great-Grandpa Shoichi and Auntie Chou were over their missing brother. Maybe it's because losing his parents and grandparents just a few years ago still makes him wary. Min Lee wishes he'd see Uncle Toshi's sacrifice as the honorable service it was. If Grandma Masami were still alive, she'd already have all the arrangements made for her grandchildren to serve under the best generals in the army. She'd personally arranged for her sons to serve under Princess Janya and Admiral Jeong Jeong when they'd been deployed to Nanyue, after all.

Uncle Shigeru has been nowhere near as proactive. Kenta had had to fight his parents tooth and nail to be allowed to join the army. Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko had only relented when he'd pointed out that, as a future daimyo, he needed to prove his mettle if he wanted any social or political standing. They'd acquiesced, but neither of them were happy about it, and losing that fight had only made them all the more determined to not lose any more.

So Min Lee knows this conversation won't be easy, and she steels herself to do her duty. She brings it up at dinner, in front of not only Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko and Father, but also Mother and all six of her sisters. She's not sure if this strategy will help, but she hopes that the presence of her mother and sisters might make Uncle Shigeru relent. Or, at the very least, _explain._ Little Ty Lee is in the "why?" phase now, a question that wouldn't go amiss if her uncle proves recalcitrant again.

She lays out her argument during a lull in the conversation. She's nearly sixteen now, nearly a grown woman, and she's been thinking about how she wants to serve her nation. She's not a bender, but she's a top-notch chi-blocker and she knows how to take care of herself. Uncle Shigeru is entirely focused on his plate as she talks, but Min Lee sees her mother smiling as she lists her abilities, and she notes that her sister Rin Lee seems to be paying attention while quietly eating - Rin Lee might be a priss, but she's by no means stupid. The way this conversation goes will likely have ramifications for _all_ the sisters, not just Min Lee. That knowledge makes her even more determined to succeed, and she points out that her skills in fighting and negotiating could be valuable assets to the military, and she wouldn't even need to go out on the front lines - there are still opportunities to serve in the colonies, maintaining the peace the Fire Nation has established in its continental regions. She could go off to serve in the Hu Xin colonies, or Yu Dao, or Yutaka, or Nanyue -

Uncle Shigeru has been tense during Min Lee's entire monologue, but at the mention of Nanyue he jerks in his seat and drops his chopsticks. Min Lee falls silent mid-sentence, and Aunt Ryoko shoots her husband a worried look.

"Um," Father says, glancing from his brother to Min Lee and back. "Maybe not Nanyue."

Min Lee frowns. So does her mother.

"Whyever not?" Mother asks. "That might be nice if she went to Nanyue. She could help maintain the peace you began!"

Uncle Shigeru huffs, his fingers white around his reclaimed chopsticks.

"She could finish what you started, so to speak," Mother continues. It's a poetic idea, Min Lee thinks. Her mother likes poetic things.

Father doesn't seem to like the idea at all. He looks calm enough as he stares at Mother, but his aura is an awful mix of gray and sulfur and muddy blue. "Nanyue is…" Min Lee waits for the words to continue, but the explanation hangs in the air, unfinished, and Father looks at Mother helplessly.

Mother gives a soft _pshaw._ "Oh, it won't be as awful as it was when you were there! You restored peace to the poor region! I'm sure it's much nicer now. She'll be perfectly fine."

Father looks completely unconvinced.

"Besides," Mother adds, "it might be nice to keep Nanyue in the family."

Min Lee beams at her mother's support, but Uncle Shigeru suddenly stirs. "I still don't think it's necessary to send our Min so far away," he said. "If _keeping it in the family_ is what appeals to you, perhaps she ought to join the Home Guard." He gives Mother an encouraging look, and she immediately perks up.

"Oh!" she says, turning bright eyes on Min Lee. "Actually, you know what darling? I think you'd be _perfect_ for the Home Guard! It's an important job, you know, and we do have family history there - you know your Auntie Chou served in it, after her stint in the Navy? Once she saw the Water Tribes weren't a real threat she came right home and focused on the homeland's security. And I loved serving in in the Home Guard myself, I made so many friends, I don't think I would've left if it wasn't for the fact I had to raise all you girls…"

Uncle Shigeru nods along as Mother waxes eloquent, and Father gives Min Lee an encouraging smile. Min Lee feels downright discouraged in spite of it. Her mother goes on and on about her days in the Home Guard for the rest of the meal, becoming more and more excited at the idea of sharing that experience with her daughter the more she speaks of it. Min Lee isn't able to get a word in edgewise. She wishes Kenta were here to back her up, but Kenta is off at Firebender boot camp with Lu Ten.

Her sisters are no help, not that she'd expected them to be - none of them are quite old enough to worry about how they'll be serving the Fire Nation. At fourteen Rin Lee still has a few years, hasn't put much thought into it, and is waiting to see how things go for Min Lee first. Hua Lee is thirteen and more focused on her studies than the future, when she doesn't have her head in the clouds. Rei Lee is ten years old and only just starting her education at the Academy. At seven and six, Moe Lee and Mao Lee are far too young to think about joining the army, and Ty Lee, at age three, is still learning words.

"And you'd be able to stay home, as well!" Mother says while they finish up dessert. "Not go gallivanting around the world like your cousin's so intent on doing." Uncle Shigeru winces at the mention of his son. "Yes, I think Home Guard will be a good fit for you, Min."

Min Lee frowns down at her fruit pie and coffee, finding herself incapable of enjoying either. "Would I have to serve here on Kohimori?" With every passing second, her fate in Home Guard seems even more solidified, but maybe she could at least get away from her home island. Her chi-blocking expertise and her spectacular academic career and her family's standing should earn her enough merit to work in Caldera City.

"I think it'd be good if you took care of our people," Aunt Ryoko says gently. "And it'd be good for them to get to know you, too."

Kenta is the heir. Min Lee is being groomed into his right hand. It makes sense that she become more familiar with the people she'll one day be responsible for. It _makes sense._

She still sighs. "I'll...think about it."

Aunt Ryoko smiles, Uncle Shigeru nods, Father looks relieved, and Mother is practically beaming. Min Lee sees no way to escape this, short of turning her back on her family and rebelling. For a brief moment, she envisions herself running off to the colonies alone, but the idea dies as quickly as it came. She can't do that to her family, no matter how badly she wants to serve her nation.

The family goes for their usual after-dinner stroll through the garden, but Min Lee hangs as far back as she can without making it obvious she's avoiding the adults. Unfortunately, she can't avoid Rin Lee. "I think Home Guard might be nice," her sister hums, examining a hibiscus. "Why didn't you ever think of it, Min? All these arguments about Kenta joining the army and going off to some nasty Earth Kingdom province made me completely forget that staying home was even an option!"

"I thought of it," Min Lee huffs. "I also immediately dismissed the idea."

"What? Why?" Rin Lee asks. "Spirits, don't tell me you _really_ want to go off fighting when you could just stay home with us?"

"I'd like to do a little more with myself than just serve in the Home Guard," Min Lee says tersely.

Rin Lee shrugs. "Well, Mother seems to have enjoyed her time in it. I think it sounds lovely."

Min Lee makes a noncommittal sound and veers off the next side path, leaving Rin Lee behind to contemplate the flowers. Min Lee heads straight for the garden's gate, the one at the very back of the family estate that opens out on the coffee forest. She needs to get out of here, take some time to climb a tree and clear her head. But she reaches the gate only to find Hua Lee perched up on the wall, little Ty Lee in her lap, their backs turned towards the garden as they gaze out into the forest.

"What are you two doing up there?" Min Lee doesn't need to ask _how_ her sisters got up there - climbing is a family trait, and Ty Lee clings like a spider-monkey.

Hua Lee turns and favors Min Lee with one of her dreamy smiles. "Min, come see! The Night Marchers are out!"

Min Lee hesitates, and for one moment, she contemplates stomping out into the forest to climb a tree _anyway._ Getting dragged back to the Spirit World by ancient Sun Warrior ghosts almost sounds preferable to the long, boring life of domestic security this night has stretched before her.

It must show in her aura, because Hua Lee's smile loses a bit of its dreaminess and gains a bit of an edge. "Min, come up here!"

Min Lee sighs and does as her little sister orders. She knows better than to risk the Night Marchers, anyway. She settles beside her sisters on the wall and looks at the tiny lights twinkling off in the distance on the mountain paths.

"Pretty," is Ty Lee's assessment.

"Very pretty," Min Lee agrees. "But also very dangerous. You _never_ go looking for them, alright Ty?"

"'Kay," is Ty Lee's response. Min Lee isn't sure how much the little girl understands that order, but she's a firm believer in starting Spirit World safety practices early on in life.

The three of them are silent for a moment, watching the distant procession.

"I think you're supposed to go into the Guard," Hua Lee says eventually. Min Lee shoots her sister a suspicious glance at the wording - _you're supposed to,_ not _I think you should._ "I'm sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear."

"I'm _supposed to?"_ Min Lee asks.

"I think," Hua Lee says, a small frown maring her otherwise faraway expression. "It's just a feeling."

Min Lee is no stranger to destiny - Lu Ten has spoken of it often enough, and over the course of the war the Fire Nation has proven it to be more than some abstract concept. It was Fire Lord Sozin's destiny to begin the Great March of Civilization, it is Fire Lord Azulon's destiny to continue it, and it will be Prince Iroh's destiny to end the war in Ba Sing Se. But even on a smaller scale, Min Lee believes in destiny - she's seen red strings tied between strangers long before their marriage, she's seen Hua Lee's premonitions play out, she's seen spirits walking through the forest and knows there are forces in this world beyond mortal comprehension.

Min Lee sighs and pulls a knee up to her chin, hugging her leg as she stares out at the forest. Could she truly be _meant_ to stay home? Why does _her_ destiny have to be boring?

"I don't know," Hua Lee says, twirling a strand of Ty Lee's hair. "I think it's probably a good thing? Aunt Ryoko is right, you'd be able to get to know our people, learn how the island works, it'd be - it'd be helpful for the future." Her smile goes sly. "Even if, in the future, you're not _just_ taking care of Kohimori."

Min Lee stills. "Is that another _feeling_ of yours?"

Hua Lee giggles. "No. Just an idea."

Min Lee frowns and turns the idea over in her head. It's not like she's never thought of it before herself. But… "Fire Lady Ilah was a general," she says. "So was Princess Janya."

Hua Lee shrugs. "So maybe the next Fire Lady doesn't need a military record, then. Maybe she should be someone who can make sure the homeland thrives while the Fire Lord focuses on the rest of the world."

Min Lee sighs. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a wisp of yellow, bright in the evening gloom.

"Sunshine!" Ty Lee shouts, giggling, her chubby little hands reaching towards the ghost in delight.

"Don't be silly, Ty, she can't _hold_ you," Hua Lee says, adjusting her grip on the child and sharing a smile with the ghostly woman. Sunshine beams at the three of them, silently cooing over Ty Lee - she's always had a soft spot for the family's babies. Min Lee has a sneaking suspicion she, Hua Lee, and Ty Lee are her favorites out of their generation, though, considering they're the only three who can actually see her.

"What do you think, Sunshine?" Min Lee asks. The ghost tilts her head curiously, and Min Lee continues, "Mother wants me to join Home Guard. So does everyone else." Sunshine blinks. "You think I'm never meant to see battle?"

Sunshine's expression turns...sad. Her mouth opens, then closes, and she shakes her head - but Min Lee doesn't think that's her answer. Whatever Sunshine is thinking, it's far more complicated than the simple yes-or-no question Min Lee had posed. It takes Min Lee by surprise. Sunshine has never struck her as a _complicated_ spirit - odd, yes, but simple. A quiet presence floating in the background of Min Lee's life.

Hua Lee's gaze slides off into the distance. "No," she murmurs, "I don't think you'll _never_ see battle, Min. I think we'll all see it eventually."

Min Lee looks at her sister. "How are we going to see battle if none of us are allowed to join the army?"

"I don't know," Hua Lee says, brow furrowed. "It's...it's just a feeling, Min."

"What's it feel like?" Min Lee presses.

Hua Lee frowns. "Like...like a blazing fire. And a well-played game." She looks confused and uncomfortable. Min Lee feels the same. If Hua Lee feels like they'll see battle eventually, but if Min Lee is in the Home Guard, then whatever battle she's in will have to be…

She lets the thought trail off, refuses to examine it closely. It never helps to overthink premonitions.

Hua Lee is still gazing off into the distance, brow furrowed. Min Lee turns her attention back to Sunshine and finds the ghost just...watching them, a neutral expression on her face.

For a long moment, it's quiet.

"Look!" Ty Lee shouts suddenly, pointing.

Hua Lee startles but doesn't drop their baby sister, her eyes refocusing. "Oh," she breathes, staring.

Min Lee follows their gazes and gasps. Only a few hundred feet from the garden wall, a procession is making its way along the forest trail, the glowing figures of ancient Sun Warriors just visible through the first layer of trees and underbrush. "They're close tonight," she murmurs. It's not the first time the Night Marchers have passed this close to the house, but it's a breathtaking sight nonetheless. The men and women are clad in grass skirts and garlands of flowers, and they stride along the path with purpose, some holding fire in their hands, others carrying torches, still others carrying primitive musical instruments or obsidian-tipped spears. If Min Lee strains her ears, she thinks she can hear a steady chanting, or a soft pipe, or the tinkling of seashells sewn onto clothing. In the center of the procession is a woman astride a moose-dragon, her clothes and jewelry obviously marking her as important, and Min Lee wonders who she might have been.

"Pretty," Ty Lee whispers.

"Yes, pretty," Min Lee agrees. "But also dangerous, Ty."

"Danjrous," Ty Lee repeats dutifully, still transfixed by the procession.

Min Lee watches the Night Marchers make their way further into the forest. Just for a little while, she puts her thoughts of the war aside in favor of watching her people's ancestors on their ghostly journey. The Night Marchers are a mysterious class of spirits, appearing only during certain months or moon phases, times when the Spirit and Physical Worlds are closer to each other. Sometimes they are even visible to people who don't have spirit sight, though anyone with sense knows to stay away from the forest when the Night Marchers are out. No one knows where they come from or where they travel to, or even who they are - these are people who'd died thousands of years ago, and no memory of them remains among the living. If anyone's ever tried getting close enough to ask questions, they haven't lived to tell the tale. Min Lee has heard many a horror story of people who ventured too close to the path.

The Night Marchers are terrifying, but they're still here. Forgotten and frightening, even the ruins of their civilization long since crumbled to dust, and yet they're still here, travelling along the island's ancient trails.

As wary and respectful as she is of them, Min Lee finds the entire concept comforting.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please review you enjoyed! I love feedback guys I live on it! :D**

 **Time for notes!**

 **And so my Fire Nation cultural mishmash rears its head again! Night Marchers are a Hawaiian legend that I find really fascinating. From the stories I've read, they're generally harmless...if you leave them alone. Don't go check out the lights in the distance, don't use their favorite paths at night, don't disrespect them. Y'know, basic supernatural safety tips! If you fail to follow them and end up in the way of a procession of spirits unimpressed with the traffic jam you're causing, you'd better hope that you're descended from them, and then strip all your clothes off, lie facedown on the ground, don't make eye contact, and hope they find you submissive and respectful enough to let you live. Some accounts also claim that looking at them can bring death (several people who claimed to have seen them died a few days later), so for the sake of this story we're gonna assume either that's not true for Kohimori's Night Marchers or that Min Lee and her relatives have special privileges in that regard either due to familial connection or spirit sight.**

 **And so Min Lee is consigned to Home Guard! How unglamorous. Also Shigeru needs therapy.**

 **Ty Lee has finally made an appearance! She is tiny and adorable. Also we get to meet Hua Lee, who is kinda a Luna Lovegood expy, and Rin Lee, who is a priss. Sorry Rei, Moe, and Mao, I don't have much personality or screen time for you yet. :(**

 **I wanna make a note about the tree climbing! So we don't get much of it in this story, which is unfortunate and ironic cuz climbing trees is, like, half my character development for the Kohimori clan, the other half being coffee. BUT the idea came to me years ago while watching The Chase. That part where Ty Lee is going after Katara and Sokka and she's just effortlessly acrobating her way around the pine trees? I was like "Huh, she's definitely done this before." And yeah she's a gymnast and a circus performer BUT she's also 14 which is not a lot of time for life experience so clearly she'd been doing it even before the circus. And that's how I started to envision Ty Lee coming from a forested island and a family of serial tree-climbers. I promise we'll see more of this trait in the next stories I have planned about Kohimori, because for some reason I just couldn't get it to fit in here. :P**


	4. Age Sixteen

**Another week, another chapter, another year of Min Lee being disappointed with her lot in life. 8D**

 **THANK YOU STINGRAE FOR BEING AN AWESOME BETA. She's the best. Y'all owe her so much.**

 **Lu Ten returns for this chapter! And we have a special guest appearance!**

 **Not...really...any warnings for this one? *shrugs* It's pretty tame.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

When she is sixteen and freshly graduated from the Academy, she doesn't have to bring the subject up - it comes up itself, during the summer solstice celebration at the royal palace.

Min Lee and Lu Ten are carefully searching the grounds for their little sister and cousin, respectively. At the age of four, Ty Lee is a quick and rebellious little thing, and little Princess Azula isn't much better. The girls have managed to elude their caregivers, and Min Lee and Lu Ten need to find them before their mothers find out, and preferably without causing a ruckus amongst the party attendees.

They're in the gardens, because Lu Ten claims that Azula enjoys feeding the turtleducks. Min Lee eyes the trees speculatively and really, _really_ hopes that none of the branches are low enough for a four-year-old to grab - Ty Lee has proven to be quite the little spider-monkey, even by the standards of a family of serial tree-climbers, and though she hasn't ventured higher than the kitchen counters Min Lee won't assume that doesn't mean she _can't._

The children aren't in the garden, but Uncle Shigeru is, standing under a string of red lanterns hanging from the trees. He's not alone.

"Sifu Jeong Jeong!" Lu Ten says, grinning broadly as he clasps his hands in a quick, respectful bow. "Enjoying the celebration?"

Admiral Jeong Jeong has a stern face and hard eyes, but his expression softens slightly at the sight of Lu Ten. "It is quite beautiful," he says, bowing back to Lu Ten as a master to his pupil. Admiral Jeong Jeong had been one of Lu Ten's first firebending teachers, at the behest of his old friend Prince Iroh. He looks at Min Lee, and asks, "Isn't this one of Masao's daughters?"

"My eldest niece," Uncle Shigeru nods, "Min Lee."

Min Lee bows respectfully, not insulted that he doesn't remember her exactly. The admiral is a busy man, after all, and he has more important things to think of than a young girl with six sisters who he's only met a few times before. It isn't often that he comes to Kohimori Island - usually he's off on campaign - but Admiral Jeong Jeong has been a friend to Min Lee's father and uncle since their days in Nanyue.

"Ah," Admiral Jeong Jeong says, nodding at Min Lee. "That's right. You've grown up."

"I just graduated from the Academy," Min Lee tells him.

"She was top of her class and everything," Lu Ten adds, gushing for her because she was too polite to brag.

"Congratulations," Admiral Jeong Jeong says. "Your family must be proud to have such a brilliant daughter." He glances at Uncle Shigeru. "Your uncle tells me you are eager to use your talents for the good of the Fire Nation."

"I am!" Min Lee says. "I've joined Kohimori's Home Guard. It's an honor to serve." And it was, truly - in spite of her initial misgivings, Min Lee _likes_ Home Guard. She likes Captain Alana, the no-nonsense woman who's been in charge of Kohimori's security for as long as Min Lee has been alive. She likes Captain Kekipi, Captain Alana's retired grandmother who regularly drops by headquarters with baked goods, coffee cherry juice, and advice. She likes her fellow guards - bright Hitoshi, stern Yori, funny Kaikala. She likes looking out for the people who live on her island, helping them with anything from basic concerns to actual crimes to her own specialization in Spirit World shenanigans. She'd thought it'd be a bore, that she'd stagnate if she never left home - but she's grown so much already, just from interacting with the people her family is responsible for, and she can tell that the relationships she forges now will be a great asset when she's older and managing the island. Her only complaint in not being assigned to Caldera City now is that Kohimori Island is much too far away from where Kenta and Lu Ten train for the army.

But she still wants to do _more._ Lu Ten knows it, too.

"Min's a fantastic guard," he says, "but in my opinion she'd be an even greater asset in the military. She's smart, and no one can chi-block like she can."

Uncle Shigeru looks amused. "I can."

Lu Ten latches onto the opening. "Yeah, and my father says you were _amazing_ in Nanyue! Think of what Min could do!"

Judging from the way he suddenly goes still, Uncle Shigeru is. Min Lee looks at the awful colors swirling in his aura and frowns to herself.

"Wanting to serve abroad is an admirable desire," Admiral Jeong Jeong says, looking from Lu Ten to Min Lee in turn. "However, we must remember that it is here at home where our most important mission lies. There are many talents in the world, and each person must understand where theirs will best be used."

Lu Ten shoots Min Lee an apologetic look, and she answers with a minute shrug. She's getting used to these shut-downs. "You have a good point, Sifu Jeong Jeong," Lu Ten agrees reluctantly.

Admiral Jeong Jeong favors him with a fond smile. "Running a country is much like bending fire, my prince," he says. "You must never forget the basics."

Lu Ten nods.

Admiral Jeong Jeong looks at Uncle Shigeru. "Well then," he says. "There are other people I'd like to see tonight. But I'll find you again before the night is out, Shigeru."

"I'll be around," Uncle Shigeru says.

"Good, good. Our Fire Lord is shipping me off to the Earth Kingdom's Western Sea at the end of the week, and I'm not sure when I'll return. There's much I'd like to discuss with you and your brother and your lovely wife before I go."

Uncle Shigeru hums. "Would you prefer to discuss it over coffee and pai sho?"

Admiral Jeong Jeong smiles. "Yes, I'd like that. Why don't you come visit me at my house tomorrow? I'll provide the pai sho if you provide some of your family's excellent coffee."

Uncle Shigeru laughs. "It's a deal."

Admiral Jeong Jeong nods and starts to walk away, but he suddenly stops just before he passes Lu Ten. Admiral and prince hold each other's gazes for a moment, and then Admiral Jeong Jeong smiles and inclines his head. "Remember your basics, my prince," he says. "Firebending comes from the breath. Our nation comes from its people."

"I'll remember, Sifu Jeong Jeong." Lu Ten says, smiling brightly. Something about the exchange feels...off to Min Lee. Lu Ten doesn't seem to sense anything amiss, but Min Lee watches Jeong Jeong's retreating back and wonders. It's just a feeling - not like Hua Lee's premonitions, no, Min Lee doesn't get those. Just a regular feeling, stemming from Min Lee's observation. For some reason, Admiral Jeong Jeong's words sounded very much like a farewell.

Admiral Jeong Jeong heads back into the bustle of the banquet hall and Uncle Shigeru fixes his gaze on Min Lee and Lu Ten. "So," he says. "What are you two doing in the gardens together away from the main party, anyway?"

Oh - oh, right, they were supposed to be looking for small children. Min Lee winces. Lu Ten groans. "So this is a long shot," he says, "but by any chance have you seen a pair of rambunctious four-year-olds running around? One of them may or may not have been lighting things on fire - we keep trying to tell her that just because she _can_ doesn't mean she _should_ but it really hasn't sunk in yet - "

"Oh, you mean Ty Lee and Princess Azula?" Uncle Shigeru asks. "They were tackling Kenta in the _other_ garden, last I saw." He nods at the covered walkway separating the two gardens. "That's why Jeong Jeong and I came here."

Min Lee and Lu Ten share relieved grins. "Thank you!" they shout, already running to the other garden.

They find Kenta facedown on the grass, a little worse for the wear thanks to the girls using him as a jungle gym. He's thrilled when they come to his rescue. Ty Lee and Azula are thrilled to have Min Lee and Lu Ten around as well. Ty Lee babbles a mile a minute about all the things Azula has been showing her while Min Lee and Kenta nod along. Lu Ten follows Azula across the garden, and Min Lee occasionally hears a panicked "Azula _no,_ these were our grandmother's prized hibiscus bushes _we cannot set them on fire Granddad would kill us."_ At some point Princess Ursa finds them and drops off a tired Zuko before heading back into the party, and Lu Ten gets a servant to deliver a table of food to the garden, and they spend the rest of the celebration contentedly eating and chattering and taking care of the kids. It's a peaceful evening, one that Min Lee will cherish in her memory for the rest of her life.

Less than a month later, word comes from the front that Admiral Jeong Jeong has deserted the Fire Navy.

The letter Lu Ten sends to Min Lee tells that Fire Lord Azulon is in a dreadful rage, and every one of Jeong Jeong's family, friends, and acquaintances are questioned as to his history, behavior, and motives. Even Prince Iroh is interviewed. When the investigators come to Kohimori Island, Uncle Shigeru invites them into his study, along with Father and Mother and Aunt Ryoko, and they stay in there for hours. When they finally come out, the investigators look grim, their auras a frustrated shade of orange.

"I'm so sorry that we weren't much help," Aunt Ryoko says as they make their way toward the dining room for dinner.

"You were about as much help as anyone else we've talked to," the lead investigator says. "No one seems to know what set him off. He was a perfect leader...until suddenly he wasn't."

Mother heaves an upset sigh. "And I thought we knew him so _well!"_ she says. "He never gave the slightest indication of disloyalty in all the time we knew him! I've no idea where his sudden behavior came from."

"It's entirely possible," the lead investigator says, "that no one really knew him at all."

Mother nods sadly, her aura disheartened shades of scarlet and pine - but Father and Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko all look grim, and their auras are muddy blue and gray, but also resolute red and motivated orange and new-growth green.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed, PLEASE, I NEED VALIDATION. ^_^"**

 **Uhhhh notes notes...**

 **The Summer Solstice would be a national holiday in the Fire Nation, right? Like, I'm assuming they'd at least have a party? I'm still wrapping my head around FN geography, but if it's on the equator there actually wouldn't be much difference in the amount of daylight it gets throughout the year, and seasons wouldn't have much meaning beyond "wet" and "dry", but solstices have spiritual significance in the Avatarverse so I'm guessing they'd do SOMETHING.**

 **I also kinda assume that Azula was BORN on the Summer Solstice because hello blatant symbolism, which means that 1) This party is kinda doubling as her birthday party but she is like four and my Azulon has never been big on pomp and circumstance so while Ozai is probably all like "Ah yes this is my AMAZING DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY" Azulon is probably like "Ozai you little brat your amazing daughter barely knows what a birthday is and also you showing her off to all your noble patsies is making her fussy so for the love of Agni give her to Lu Ten so he can take her off to play and the rest of us can actually enjoy this party", and 2) Azula spent the entirety of Season 3: Episode 6: The Avatar and the Fire Lord wondering why Zuko was more interested in dumb questions about Great-Grandfather Sozin than he was about HER BIRTHDAY? WHY ARE YOU SO DUMB, ZUZU?**

 **Jeong Jeong is here! And now he is GONE! GOOD LUCK IN EXILE BUDDY. I have ideas about Jeong Jeong's exile extrapolated from the very little bit we saw in canon, and how he got those scars, and Chey, and Lin Yee, and Jeong Jeong's deep respect for waterbending healers, and Jeong Jeong's deep-seated issues with his own element, and one of these days I'll pound all these plotdustbunnies out with Stingrae and publish them in a story somewhere.**

 **Headcanon: Jeong Jeong was an Admiral. I know Chey was very confused as to whether it was admiral or general, but Jeong Jeong trained Zhao, who is in the NAVY (minus that one weird assignment in the fricking desert), so Jeong Jeong must've been in the navy.**

 **Headcanon: Jeong Jeong trained Lu Ten because Iroh begged/ordered him to and for Jeong Jeong it was a breath of fresh air after the walking disaster that was Zhao and he allowed himself a shred of hope that maybe Lu Ten wouldn't want to burn the world to the ground or even do it accidentally if Jeong Jeong could just impress upon him the importance of the BASICS. Also he trained Kenta because where Lu Ten goes Kenta is sure to get dragged along behind kicking and screaming, dangit.**

 **Also you'd think Kenta would be USED to being used as a jungle gym by small children, but no, he is surprised every time it happens.**

 **And re: the infodump on Min Lee's worklife - I actually was gonna properly introduce Kohimori's Home Guard in Chapter 3, but...it just didn't pull together. :P I have ideas about these people, but unfortunately trying to develop them in this story just didn't happen. Meh. I have other Kohimori stories planned, so maybe one of those will work with them better.**

 **And I'd like to take a moment to point out that the Kohimori clan likely got a very...respectful interrogation concerning Jeong Jeong's desertion, being nobles descended from Azulon's bff Masami, after all. Same with Iroh, being the Crown Prince. Other people who got caught up in the investigation...yeah, they probably weren't treated nearly as nicely and had to deal with a ton of suspicion.**


	5. Age Seventeen

**SORRY THIS IS LATE. My sister actually wound up in my area! And we did things together! And it was FUN!**

 **Tho I do feel terrible about posting this so late. Especially cuz Stingrae got it betaed early before she went on HER trip...and then I got too busy to post... . THANK YOU STINGRAE YOU'RE THE BEST.**

 **No real warnings for this chapter...aside from me still playing fast and loose with auras...**

* * *

When she is seventeen, Min Lee spends a frustrating afternoon stalking down the streets of Kohimori's main town, scowling down every nook and alleyway in search of a hopping bastard.

The rest of the townspeople are putting up banners, making lanterns, and building altars full of offerings in preparation for the festivities in a few days, but everyone is uneasy and unnaturally listless. A week ago, Min Lee had chalked everyone's wariness up to the overall feeling that surrounds the Ghost Month, but then something had attempted to _eat_ Yori last night. Spiritually, not physically, but honestly the difference doesn't matter as much as the fact that _something had attempted to eat Yori._ Min Lee had fended the vampire off with some well-aimed spitting, Yori is now currently at home buried in blankets recovering her chi, and the rest of the Guard are keeping a close eye on the festival preparations and the townsfolk, prepared to shout for Min Lee's assistance if anything seems amiss. In the meantime, Min Lee is off on her own, armed with her spirit sight and a mouthful of saliva to find the thing that'd been sucking down the town's energy.

She turns down another alleyway only to find it devoid of hopping energy-sucking corpses and groans. She _really_ wants to find this thing before the Hungry Ghost Festival.

The energy vampire isn't the only reason why she's frustrated, though. Yesterday, before Yori's soul had nearly been sucked out, Min Lee had had yet another fruitless conversation with Uncle Shigeru.

It's no secret in the Fire Nation that the military is gearing up for something big. Taxes have been hiked up, ships and weapons and blasting jelly are being built and stockpiled in vast amounts, and the recruiters are out in full force, steadily building up the troops. It's been years since the Fire Nation's last major campaign, and everyone's eager to see what the military's next move is. Rumor has it they're finally going after Ba Sing Se. Lu Ten claims he can neither confirm nor deny, but Min Lee can read between his (very excited) lines and is fairly certain he would confirm.

Maybe he _will_ confirm, quietly, verbally, and unofficially, when he and Kenta come to Kohimori in a few days for the festival.

Lu Ten will be part of whatever it is, obviously - this campaign will be the start of his military career, and he'll doubtless become an accomplished leader, like his father and grandfather before him. Kenta will be there as well - he's part of the army too now, and this is his first chance to prove himself on the battlefield and win the respect of the court, despite his father's insistence that he can pull some strings, get reassigned somewhere safer on account of his nobility. Uncle Shigeru's wariness of sending his family's children off to the war is starting to irritate Min Lee - especially now that, since Kenta will definitely be fighting in the thick of things, he's turned all his efforts into denying Min Lee's requests.

It's ridiculous, she thinks. She's been in Home Guard for two years now, and she's proven herself time and again. She can handle dangerous situations. She can think strategically. She can be a leader. And yet Uncle Shigeru refuses to even entertain the notion of sending her overseas. It's dangerous. It's not necessary. She's doing so much good work here. She's _needed_ here. What would Home Guard do without her?

Be perfectly fine, Min Lee suspects. She's only been on the force for two years, and they'd been doing just well before that. Captain Alana has been in charge for nearly twenty years for a reason, Kaikala is an excellent Firebender, and Hitoshi and Yori are no less skilled - nearly getting eaten by vampires notwithstanding.

She _does_ like Home Guard. It _was_ a good choice. After two years, she has a lot of friends on the force, and a greater understanding of her island and her people. It gives her and her mother something to talk about at the end of the day.

But the year after Min Lee had joined up, Rin Lee had come of age and been encouraged to join as well. And now it seems that Hua Lee will be following suit. It will be another four years before Rei Lee is of age, but Min Lee suspects she will be in Home Guard, too. Mother just keeps bringing it up every time they ever spoke about their required service, and Uncle Shigeru only encourages the idea.

None of them, it seems, will be joining the actual war effort. Min Lee's sisters don't seem to care so much, at least.

That still doesn't make things fair for _her._

She wants to fight. She wants to bring the Fire Nation glory. If her sisters want to stay in Home Guard, that's fine - but why can't she be allowed to leave?

And there's a niggling in the back of her mind, a feeling she gets whenever she remembers her conversation with Hua Lee a few years ago. Hua Lee had thought that they'd see battle eventually. If Min Lee never leaves home, then that means…

The Fire Nation is _winning._ She has no idea how the war might come to Kohimori Island. But she doesn't want to wait around to find out. If she's not on Kohimori Island, then the battle won't be, either.

Another alley, another distinct lack of vampire. Min Lee groans, rubs her temples, and turns around - only to catch a brief sight of _transparent_ and _no feet_ and _definitely dead._ She's spitting before she also registers _wait crap YELLOW._

Sunshine ducks to the side and fortunately clears the gob of saliva Min Lee has spat at her. It hits the ground, harmless, and Sunshine gives Min Lee an affronted look.

"Oh my Agni I am _so sorry,"_ Min Lee says.

Sunshine's lips twitch into a smirk, equally amused and approving of Min Lee's spiritual survival skills.

"You _really_ should know better than to sneak up on me when I'm already on-edge," Min Lee adds, taking a moment to run her hands down her face. She pauses and fixes Sunshine with a look. "Hey, you haven't happened to have seen an energy-sucking hopping corpse bastard anywhere, have you?"

Sunshine grimaces and shakes her head.

"Great," Min Lee mutters, and she stalks down the street. Sunshine floats after her. "If I was a hungry, energy-sucking vampire, where would I be?" Min Lee wonders. She glances at Sunshine to see if the ghost has any answers, but Sunshine looks just as lost. Min Lee sighs. "Are you having a nice Ghost Month, at least?"

Sunshine smiles.

Min Lee sighs again. "Great," she says. "At least one of us is."

Sunshine gives her a curious look. Min Lee tries not to notice, tries to focus on searching for the vampire, tries not to think of how _frustrated_ she is with everything in general - and then the words come out anyway.

"I don't understand what Uncle Shigeru's _problem_ is," she growls, glancing behind a building as they pass by. Sunshine watches her, expression betraying nothing. "I told him, I don't even need to go to whatever the actual _campaign_ is - I'm sure they'll need even _more_ help in the colonies once they drain the army reserves for whatever they're planning! But no, he wouldn't hear about it - not Yu Dao, not Yutaka, not Nanyue - well, of _course_ not Nanyue, I don't know what it is but he _hates_ talking about Nanyue…" Every time the region came up, Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko and Father were suddenly very unconversational. Min Lee isn't a little girl anymore, and she knows her history - she's heard that the Final Annexation of Nanyue was a bitter and bloody affair, that the Fire Nation had had to take extreme measures to eradicate the Nanyuese army and bring peace to the war-torn province. Nanyue had refused the Fire Nation's advances for decades before Prince Iroh had finally taken it, its people misled and spurred to rebellion by the ruling family. But it had turned out alright in the end. The Fire Nation had prevailed, the rebels had been wiped out, and the region was now one of the most peaceful lands under Fire Nation control.

Nanyue had been a major victory for the Fire Nation, but Min Lee's family rarely ever speaks of it. Lu Ten finds that odd - many nights of his childhood he'd fallen asleep to his father telling the story of how he'd triumphed over the notorious earthbender General Chien Trung. "Maybe they lost a lot of friends in the fighting," he'd suggested when she'd brought it up during one of her many grumbling sessions. "Maybe it just hurts to think about."

She's asked her mother about it, but to her surprise Mother is just as clueless as she is. "Your father doesn't like talking about it, really," she'd shrugged. "He's told me that bad things happened, and he doesn't want to think about it. He has nightmares sometimes, you know," she'd added. "But it's alright, really."

So maybe terrible things happened to her family during the Nanyue campaign. Maybe they don't like to talk about their military days because they don't like to think about those things. Maybe they don't want to send their children off to war because they're worried terrible things will happen to them, too.

That still doesn't mean they should give in to _cowardice._

"I told him it wasn't fair," Min Lee tells Sunshine. "Kenta gets to join the army, and he's going to do great things, and me? I'll be stuck here doing things _anyone_ could do."

Sunshine blinks once, long and slow and unimpressed.

Min Lee takes no heed of her, still thinking about her cousin. Kenta managed to convince his father by the skin of his teeth, because he was the eldest and the heir and he really did need to prove himself. Min Lee is the eldest of her sisters, but she isn't the island's heir, and according to Uncle Shigeru, she has no real need to prove herself any more than she already has. Home Guard is an honorable enough assignment.

It isn't, though. Not for the future Min Lee feels encroaching upon her. She doesn't want to be conceited or self-centered, and it's not as though she _dislikes_ the thought of helping Kenta rule Kohimori - they'd make a great team, really, and she loves caring for her people - but she feels that she's meant for something _more._ Kenta agrees with her. It's in the way she and Lu Ten have been smiling at each other lately, the way her heart flutters a little faster whenever she sees him, the way Lu Ten describes the color of her eyes in shades of tea. It's nothing substantial or serious, not now, not yet, but _someday…_

And so Min Lee knows that she _does_ have to prove herself. Fire Lady Ilah had been an accomplished Yu Yan archer, a terrific sniper, and a terror on the battlefield. Princess Janya had been a respected leader and a driving force behind the Final Annexation of Nanyue, alongside her husband Prince Iroh. Min Lee has great heights to aspire to, and she'll never reach them in Home Guard.

"I just don't understand," Min Lee grumbles, scanning the yard around a small house. No vampire here either, and they're running out of town to check - she's made it all the way to the outskirts. Where _is_ this thing? "I don't know why he doesn't want…" She pauses mid-thought, and then she whirls to face Sunshine. "Would you know anything about this?" she asks the ghost. "You've been around forever."

It's true. Sunshine has been haunting the ancestral home for decades, a silent spectre who tends to blend in with the daylight and is easy to miss if you don't _focus_ on her. Min Lee isn't exactly sure how old the ghost is or what her deal is - she doesn't even know Sunshine's actual _name._ But Sunshine is a quiet, polite soul who's never caused any mischief or malevolence and whose haunting is the most pleasant anyone in the family has ever experienced, and for that reason she's allowed to stay. Min Lee would even go so far as to say that Sunshine is a sweet person, and she's always looked out for the family and alerted them whenever dangerous spirit matters were at hand. In some ways, she's more of a guardian spirit than a ghost. If anyone would know all the family's deep, dark secrets, it would be Sunshine.

But she doesn't talk, and being dead she doesn't have an aura, so it's hard to know what she's thinking. Especially when she isn't keen on sharing. Sunshine favors Min Lee with another long, slow blink, and that's all she has to say on the matter.

Min Lee huffs. "Fine," she grumbles. "Be that way."

"Talking to yourself, or to someone I can't see?"

Min Lee _jumps_ at the voice. "What the - oh my spirits," she says, a hand going to clutch at her heart. It's beating a cacophony in her chest, and she gasps for air and tries to calm down because there's honestly nothing to worry about, stupid panic response. "Good afternoon, Captain Kekipi," she adds to the old lady behind her, who's carrying a basket of fish from the market and watching her try to get a grip on herself.

"Good afternoon, Lady Min Lee," Captain Kekipi answers. She's not actually a captain, not anymore - she'd retired from the Home Guard around the same time Min Lee had been born, and her granddaughter Alana had succeeded her position - but she's so well-respected that people still refer to her by the title anyway. She still shows up often enough at the Guard's headquarters, usually with platters of baked goods, and that alone is enough to garner her their continued love and admiration.

"You know there's an energy vampire running around right now, Captain?" Min Lee gasps.

"Thought they hopped," Captain Kekipi hums. "And yes, I've heard."

"So maybe you shouldn't go sneaking up on people," Min Lee says. "Just saying."

Captain Kekipi snorts. "Young lady, you can see a _lot_ more than most people can. It's not my fault you didn't notice me walking in broad daylight in the physical realm."

Min Lee laughs. "Okay, good point," she admits. Her heartbeat is nearing normal now.

"So," Captain Kekipi says. "Who _were_ you talking to?"

"A friendly ghost," Min Lee says. Sunshine beams at the descriptor, and Min Lee adds, "A currently-somewhat-useless, but definitely friendly ghost." Sunshine's smile drops into an annoyed look.

"I take it this ghost can't help you locate the vampire?" Captain Kekipi asks.

"As of this moment she does not know where it's hiding, no," Min Lee says. "Though I'm sure she'll let me know the _second_ she has any leads."

The look Sunshine gives Min Lee is of the _of_ _ **course**_ _I will what sort of person do you take me for?_ sort.

"Well that's good, at least," Captain Kekipi says. "It's good to have friends on the other side, I suppose. Or at least to be able to see your enemies. I'm glad we have you on the force."

Min Lee bites back her own disappointment and guilt. She wants to _leave_ the force. Every time someone tells her they're glad to have her, she feels worse about it.

"We haven't had anyone with your talents in the Guard since...oh, since Lady Chou, I suppose," Captain Kekipi continues.

Min Lee perks up a bit at the mention of her great-great-aunt. So does Sunshine. "What was it like?" she asks. "Working with her?" She only ever knew Auntie Chou as an old lady - refined and elegant and still top-notch at spitting, but rickety with age.

"Oh," Captain Kekipi sighs, smiling fondly. "It was fun. Extremely confusing half the time, but fun. She took down a few vampires herself, you know." She gives Min Lee a grin. "You remind me a lot of her, honestly. You and that sister of yours, Hua Lee. You're nice girls, very devoted to your people. Just like Lady Chou was. And you're all good at protecting us from the things we can't see."

Min Lee shrugs. "It's a gift."

"I'm glad you have it," Captain Kekipi says firmly. "I'm glad it runs in your family, honestly, it's been a useful thing to have through the generations. Whoever it was who gave it to you, well, I can't thank them enough."

"I think it was…" Min Lee begins, and then she trails off, because she suddenly realizes she doesn't _know_ where the family's spirit sight comes from. She has it, and Hua Lee, and Ty Lee, and Uncle Shigeru, and Grandma Masami had it, and Great-Grandpa Shoichi and Auntie Chou, and they said Uncle Toshi had had it too...and that's where the trail ends. Lord Akihiko hadn't had spirit sight, and neither had Lady Mika. "...I don't know where it comes from, actually."

Captain Kekipi hums. "Well," she says, "I suppose we wouldn't."

There's something shifty in her aura. Or - well, not shifty, but curious and contemplative and just the slightest bit anxious. "What's that supposed to mean?" Min Lee asks. Beside her, Sunshine is very still, staring at Captain Kekipi.

"Well," Captain Kekipi begins, and then she pauses and looks around. They're the only ones on the street - the rest of the townsfolk are in the main square, preparing for the festival and keeping a wary lookout for their unwelcome visitor. "You know, I'm not sure if I should be telling you this."

"Telling me what?" Min Lee asks.

Captain Kekipi mulls it over. "Ach, it was so long ago," she huffs. "And Lady Masami has been dead for years. I suppose it wouldn't hurt." She looks at Min Lee and gives her a conspiratorial grin. "Did you know, when I was a little girl, there were rumors that Lord Akihiko had taken a spirit for a wife?"

Min Lee blinks at her. "You think my great-great-grandmother was a _spirit?"_

Captain Kekipi shrugs. "The story goes that Lord Akihiko fell in love with a spirit, and she became his wife. It was true love, supposedly. And she gave her children the gift of spirit sight."

Min Lee frowns, processing the information. "You think...Lady Mika was a spirit?"

"Now _that_ I'm not sure of," Captain Kekipi snorts. "I met Lady Mika, and there was nothing spiritual about her. She was a lovely lady, loyal and kindhearted, and I know she was Lord Akihiko's friend since childhood...but she didn't strike me as particularly spiritual. Not like Lady Chou and Lord Shoichi were." She pauses, thinking. "But then, the stories told it differently. Lord Akihiko was a mortal, they said, and his wife was a spirit, and in the end they couldn't stay together. They said that the Lady disappeared. Snuck out in the dark of night and returned to the Spirit World, maybe. Or she was taken away by forces that wanted her gone from the physical realm, where she didn't belong." She shrugs. "But Lady Mika never disappeared, of course, so I'm not sure what they were on about. But hey," she finishes, grinning at Min Lee, "maybe you've got some spirit blood in you. If spirits even have blood, anyway."

Min Lee is still frowning. "Why haven't I ever heard this story?"

"Because your grandmother stamped it out," Captain Kekipi says flatly. "Didn't want anyone spreading any rumors that might reflect poorly on her parents or grandparents. I suppose she had good reason - Lord Akihiko was on the outs with Fire Lord Sozin, and then again with Fire Lord Azulon. And if he went down, the whole clan went with him." She shakes her head. "I was a little girl when they stopped telling the story, but some of us older folks can still remember it. I never passed it on myself, until now." She shoots a quick smirk at Min Lee, but then her expression goes somber. "Lady Masami worked _hard_ to restore Kohimori's reputation. I understand why she was so strict. But...part of me still wonders if maybe she was overreacting to a fairytale."

Min Lee turns the tale over in her head. "Thank you for telling me," she says slowly. She _still_ has no idea what her great-great-grandfather did that was so upsetting to Fire Lord Sozin, and every new puzzle piece she uncovers is a stranger shape than the last, but she's still glad to have heard the story.

Maybe someday everything will make sense. Or maybe it won't. It's not like it really matters.

Sunshine is still motionless at Min Lee's side, but she isn't looking at Captain Kekipi anymore. Her gaze is focused farther down the street, where the road leads into the edge of the forest. Suddenly, she moves - one hand whipping out to wave at Min Lee's face, the other rising to point at the nearest patch of woods. Min Lee follows Sunshine's finger and feels her heart skip a beat when she sees a dark figure hopping through the trees.

"See something?" Captain Kekipi asks sharply.

"Yes," Min Lee says. "I have to go."

"Be careful, young lady."

"You too. If you feel like all the warmth and life are being sucked out of you, scream, alright?"

"Loud enough to wake the dead," Captain Kekipi promises, and then Min Lee takes off down the road, a ghostly ally at her side and a gob of saliva ready in her mouth and the fierce determination to protect her people in her heart.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! PLEASE leave me a review if you enjoyed it guys I CRAVE ADORATION. :P**

 **The energy vampire is a jiangshi, a Chinese vampire that feeds on your chi/life force and is usually depicted as a hopping corpse wearing an official's clothing from the Qing Dynasty. The hopping bit comes from an old Xiangxi Province practice of transporting corpses home by tying them upright in single file along a long bamboo rod held between two men, and as they walked the bamboo rod would flex and, from a distance, give the appearance that the corpses were "hopping". I've kept the hopping idea - it's cool! - but I think jiangshi in the Avatarverse could wear any sort of clothing.**

 **And we get more backstory! Or rumored backstory. Maybe. Who really knows what happened 90-some years ago? Do any of YOU know what happened in your family 90-some years ago? 90-some years ago my great-grandfather was a rambunctious 10-year-old and he and his brother ran around my hometown and were referred to as "Ella's brats" by the populace and my great-grandmother was the sickly, only surviving child of a couple who owned a cracker company, and that's basically all I know about my family in 1928 but I could probably find out more if I wanted to...**

 **Anyway maybe at some point I'll write a continuation of this chapter detailing how Min eventually deals with the vampire, because I DID kinda allude to it in WFFD. Lu Ten and Kenta show up, there's lots of shouting and spitting and screaming. I'll have to wait for a plotbunny to really bite me about it, tho.**

 **Thanks for reading! :D**


	6. Age Eighteen

**OMG LOOK I'M POSTING ON A WEDNESDAY FOR ONCE! :D**

 **Okay important notice - I've been trying to reply to some PMs and reviews for a few days but FFdotnet keeps timing out and telling me there's a gateway error. Idk why that keeps happening. I've even tried sending a PM by going thru profiles instead of replying, and it still isn't working. I'm guessing this is FFdotnet's issue, not mine. So I'm gonna keep trying to send these things until they WORK, and in the meantime if you hear radio silence from me I do apologize, I want to reply to you, and in particular Aqualys I'm sorry I apparently didn't reply to you last week, I THOUGHT I DID but apparently it did not go out. DX**

 **Sooooooo many thanks to Stingrae for being such an awesome beta and helping me with storytelling decisions and other betaly things, she is the BEST!**

 **WARNINGS FOR**  
 **-Nanyue**  
 **-War crimes**  
 **-Murder and harm to children/child death**  
 **-Allusions to PTSD and cultural ableism when it comes to mental health**

* * *

When she is eighteen, Kenta and Lu Ten are off besieging Ba Sing Se, and the three of them write each other constantly. The boys' letters are filled with excitement and adventure, and the occasional wistful introspection - Ba Sing Se's wall and army are proving to be worthy adversaries, and there's more to war than glory. They write about the battles they've fought, and some of those accounts can get emotional, but they never overburden their letters with depressing thoughts, nor do they insult Min Lee by telling her she ought to be grateful she's stayed home. The closest Kenta gets to doing so is constantly lamenting the Earth Kingdom's pitiful supply of coffee and insisting that she must never, ever, _ever_ take their family's easy access to coffee beans for granted ever again.

Min Lee keeps them updated on the goings-on at home and sends them care packages - fire flakes and fire gummies and cocoa, coffee for Kenta, tea for Lu Ten. Lu Ten sends her strange Earth Kingdom flowers pressed between the pages of his letters and jewelry made of green jade - necklaces, bracelets, hairpins twisted into the shapes of foreign flowers she doesn't recognize. They clash horribly with her predominantly-red wardrobe. Min Lee smiles at the useless accessories and consigns them to the farthest corner of her jewelry box. Her littlest sister Ty Lee thinks that's a shame and points out that they'd go well with pink.

The letters are nice, but more than anything Min Lee wishes she could _be_ there. Iroh's Siege will surely be the Fire Nation's greatest victory in the entire war, and she's unable to take part. New recruits are shipped out to bolster Iroh's forces every day, yet Min Lee is forbidden from joining. She voices her displeasure whenever she can, though not as often as she'd like - Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko have spent the entire campaign so far worried about their son, and Min Lee knows that pestering her uncle too much will get her nowhere when he's already on edge.

For now, she still has her standing in Home Guard, and her letters.

It's while she's handing one such letter off to a servant for delivery that Uncle Shigeru suddenly accosts her.

"Min Lee," he says, "if I could have a moment?"

Min Lee waves the servant away with the letter and looks at her uncle. "What is it?"

Something about him looks awkward, and his aura is anxious. "We need to talk," he says.

"About what?"

"A lot of things," he hedges. "Do you have time?"

She does. Uncle Shigeru leads her out to the garden porch, and they sit down on plush red cushions to drink coffee and play pai sho. Min Lee blinks down at the game, confused. Her uncle enjoys it well enough, but why he thought it necessary to play during a conversation was beyond her.

"So what's this about?" she asks, sipping her coffee.

Uncle Shigeru takes a deep breath. "The war," he says. "And our family." He gestures at her to take the first move, and Min Lee places one of her jasmine tiles as her first spring flower. Uncle Shigeru mirrors it on his side of the board with his own jasmine tile. "I know you still want to join the military," he begins.

Min Lee chooses a rhododendron tile as her second spring flower and places it.

Uncle Shigeru follows her example and continues, "I also know that you think it's unfair that Kenta is off fighting in the Siege and you aren't. I hope you realize that I want Kenta out there just as much as I want you out there. Which of course is not at all."

Min Lee snorts and places a chrysanthemum tile as her final spring flower. "Don't worry," she says dryly, "Kenta and I have both noticed."

Uncle Shigeru grimaces and places his own chrysanthemum tile in silence.

Min Lee gauges the colors of his aura and wonders if she dare ask. Well. Her uncle wants to talk. Maybe he'll finally talk. "What happened in Nanyue that made you so...scared of sending us off to fight?"

Uncle Shigeru's aura immediately turns the awful browns, blues, and grays that crop up whenever Nanyue is mentioned, but he takes a swig of coffee and looks her straight in the eye. "Nanyue," he says, "was a bloodbath."

Min Lee puts a lily tile into play with the vague idea of eventually harmonizing it with her jasmine tile. "Isn't all war bloody?"

"Yes," Uncle Shigeru sighs, "but not like Nanyue." He puts a rose tile into play. "I saw rivers run red, Min."

Min Lee frowns. "But we won," she points out, moving her jasmine piece. She knows her history. Prince Iroh had squashed the Nanyuese army and destroyed the rebellious Trung family who'd led them, and the region had been pacified. "We didn't even lose very many people, given the size of the campaign."

"I didn't say it was _our_ blood, Min," Uncle Shigeru says tiredly. He doesn't bother moving his rose tile yet - instead he puts a white jade tile on the board.

Min Lee looks at him, nonplussed. What was _that_ supposed to mean? The Fire Nation had won - of course they'd killed the Nanyuese insurgents to do it.

"Look," Uncle Shigeru begins. "A lot of things happened in Nanyue. Terrible things. _I_...did things. I...killed...a lot of people."

His aura is a horrid gloomy gray, and Min Lee tries to think of something encouraging to say as she adds another rhododendron tile to the board. "Uncle, you...you were fighting for your country. It's alright."

He grimaces. "No, Min," he says. "It's not. To fight in a battle is one thing, but what happened in Nanyue...there was no honor in that." It's his turn, but he doesn't make his move. He's staring at the board like he isn't really seeing it. Maybe he isn't.

"You were a soldier, Uncle," Min Lee insists. "You did your duty to your country and you overthrew our enemies, and I know you had to kill people but it was war, they were soldiers too and - "

"Min, I killed children."

Min Lee falls silent and stares at him. "...What?" she asks after a moment.

"I killed children," he repeats, finally moving his rose tile to immediately harmonize it with his chrysanthemum piece. "Also unarmed civilians. And old people."

" _...Why?"_

"Because I was a soldier," Uncle Shigeru says ruefully, "and I was following orders."

"But - but you're a hero," she insists, moving her rhododendron piece. He might never talk about it himself, but she's heard about it from other people. "You were there when Prince Iroh took their last stronghold, you helped rid the world of the Trung family - "

"Yeah, and you want to know how I did that?" Uncle Shigeru asks. "I kept General Nguyet Trung's grandchildren bound and chi-blocked until Prince Iroh decided against keeping them alive."

Min Lee scrambles for an explanation. "So...so he decided they were dangerous - "

"The girl was about Ty Lee's age, I think," Uncle Shigeru says, idly picking up a pai sho tile and turning it in his fingers. "The boy wasn't much older."

"...they'd be dangerous in the future," Min Lee decides. It makes sense. They'd gotten rid of potential future enemies before they'd become a problem. It makes perfect political sense.

"That was Iroh's reasoning," Uncle Shigeru sighs. "And Fire Lord Azulon wanted it to be public. So they were burned at the stake."

"You didn't kill them, though," Min Lee says. He couldn't have. Uncle Shigeru wasn't a firebender.

"No," he says. "But I watched." He takes a sip of coffee. "Those kids died horribly. And yet I saw plenty of other Nanyuese children go through even worse before they died." He grimaces. "Some of the kids I killed, I killed because I knew if I didn't, someone else would, and they'd make it even worse."

"So you were merciful," Min Lee says.

Her uncle scowls. "Dammit, Min, you aren't _listening."_

"What should I be hearing?" she asks, frustrated. The pai sho game sits between them, forgotten, but Uncle Shigeru still holds a pai sho tile in his hand.

"Bad things happened in Nanyue, Min," he says. "Terrible things. Things that never should have happened under _any_ circumstance. And Nanyue may have been the bloodiest campaign we've had, but things like that happen elsewhere, too. They'll happen for as long as this war continues. And when the Fire Nation is responsible for such things, and when we hold the people who do them up as heroes, it ought to make you wonder if - "

He breaks off because Min Lee is staring at him, wide-eyed and horrified. She doesn't want to believe what she's hearing, despite the vibrant blues and reds in her uncle's aura that mean he's telling the truth and he's resolute about it. She doesn't want to be complicit in such thoughts. "Uncle," she says shakily. "Uncle, this sounds _very_ unpatriotic."

He looks at her in silence, his aura fading back to muted, disappointed grays. "It does," he says after a moment, "doesn't it?" He looks down at the pai sho piece in his hand. It's the white lotus tile, Min Lee realizes, and she wonders why he's bothering to play the weakest piece of them all. "I want you to be better than me, Min."

"Let me join the army," she offers. "I will be."

He only shakes his head.

There's a long moment of silence that Min Lee isn't sure how to break - offer reassurance? Continue her argument? Uncle Shigeru doesn't seem to want to break the silence at all - he only gazes at the white lotus tile, his aura despondent.

Father suddenly steps out on the porch. "Ah," he says, looking at his brother. "There you are. Ryoko's looking for you."

"Is she?" Uncle Shigeru asks. He puts the white lotus tile back on the sideline of the board and stands up. Father looks at it curiously, but Uncle Shigeru only says, "Better go see what she wants, then." He heads back inside.

Father looks at Min Lee. "Everything alright?"

"I don't know," she says. She really doesn't. What even _was_ that conversation? "Is Uncle Shigeru...is he okay?"

"How do you mean?"

"We were talking about Nanyue." Her father winces, and Min Lee asks, "He...he isn't a coward, is he?" For all the glory it brought their nation, the war could take its toll on even the most loyal of soldiers. There were many terms for the odd states of mind that often afflicted veterans - cowardice was one. Rock shock was another. So was melancholia. Min Lee had never thought her uncle to be affected in such a way, but now she's wondering.

"My brother," Father says, "is definitely not a coward."

Min Lee nods in silent agreement. Even if her uncle _is_ \- well, she won't see it. She won't let it bother her. It doesn't matter if her uncle thinks unpatriotic thoughts - Min Lee is going to forget this entire conversation ever happened.

She starts to put away Uncle Shigeru's pai sho set, but father insists on doing it himself and shoos her off. Min Lee heads back into the house, not really sure what to do next. It occurs to her that, after that whole debacle, all she really wants is more coffee, so she heads toward the kitchen.

Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko are already in there, their backs turned to the door as they share a fruit pie in silence, and Min Lee backs away before they see her. She does not, however, escape the notice of Sunshine. The ghost is lounging in a spill of sunlight that falls from a window across the counter, apparently watching Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko, but her head suddenly snaps towards Min Lee even as she steps away from the kitchen door.

For the split-second Sunshine remains in her view as she backs away, Min Lee holds the ghost's gaze. Sunshine stares back at her, expression flat.

* * *

 **Soooooooo whatcha think? Like, that was terrible, but I hope it was a well-written terrible and that y'all enjoyed it. If you did please leave a review!**

 **NOTES!**

 **Pai sho has no canonical rulebook that I know of, but Avatar fans have done their best to fill in that gap! When I wrote this section last year I believe I used two links as my references and probably fudged a bit more myself. Of course I can't put the links here on FFdotnet, but I'll be posting them on the gilded-green tumblr and/or the caelum-in-the-avatarverse tumblr, so you can check them out there when I get them up.**

 **And cowardice/melancholia/** **shell shock** **rock shock is absolutely PTSD/depression but the Avatarverse is still new to the study of psychology so there isn't a proper name or diagnosis for it yet. Gee, if only I had a character who was half-decent at psychological whatnot and the study of the human mind...**

 **There really aren't any other notes aside from the pai sho...this chapter didn't have many researchable elements. But hopefully now we can understand Shigeru a bit more...**

 **And I'd like to take the time to assure everyone that I do love Iroh? A lot? Honestly! But canon is pretty clear that he's done stuff he regrets, and while it's easy to assume that means Ba Sing Se...Iroh didn't really accomplish anything at Ba Sing Se. He didn't get in until the end, and then he was "quickly expunged" according to General Sung. And he had a long military career before that. Nanyue is something I made up to help give Iroh's redemption arc even more** ** _oomph_** **than what we saw in the series, and it was not a normal campaign - it was the Fire Nation finally deciding they'd had enough after decades of fighting the Nanyuese and making them an example, civilians and war crimes be damned. Iroh didn't necessarily want to go that hard, but Azulon did, and Iroh was a dutiful son and general and decided to follow his orders, and the Nanyuese were fierce fighters and he had to make sure the Fire Nation came out on top and there'd be no Nanyuese comeback this time, and once he was in that mindset there was no going back. It's not an excuse for Nanyue, but it is a reason. And in my headcanon this was the worst campaign Iroh had any part in, and the other campaigns he led were less riddled with sanctioned brutality. Still pretty terrible, but not like Nanyue.**

 **Unfortunately for Shigeru and Masao and Ryoko, Nanyue was their first military campaign. Maybe if they'd had experience with the war beforehand, they would've been more desensitized and would've handled it differently. But as it is, Shigeru can see auras, and Masao and Ryoko had never used their bending to really kill anyone before, and Nanyue had a deep effect on all three of them...**

 **(And if anyone has been wondering, yes, the Nanyue Massacre is very much based on the Nanking Massacre, aka the Rape of Nanking. I know the Fire Nation Is Not Japan, and Nanyue is based on Vietnam, not China (I'm sure I've made accidental potential allusions to the Vietnam War as well, I'll get some intended ones in later I'm sure), but a lot of the brutality I allude to in Nanyue has a basis in real life. If you are unfamiliar with the Nanking Massacre you should not go looking it up without understanding that it was worse than anything I've alluded to in my fics and it is very NSFW. It was WWII, there are photos, and they are all terrible.)**


	7. Age Nineteen

**Annnnnnnd update!**

 **I am...really sorry I update so late here on ffdotnet, I just...this website is so user-unfriendly and it's such a hassle. AO3 is so much nicer. -_- But I know some people still read their fic here, so I figure I'll keep covering this base until I can't take it anymore...**

 **Speaking of this site being stupid, I STILL can't send private messages, so like, sorry about that. If you wanna chat, please hit me up at my tumblrs, either caelum-in-the-avatarverse or gilded-green.**

 **Thank you so much to Stingrae for always being such a fantastic beta. 3**

 **Well, here are are, the penultimate chapter of Dutiful. Second-to-last. Only one more after this!**

 **Warnings in this chapter for death-by-fire and Caelum playing fast and loose with spirit world shenanigans.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

When she is nineteen, Iroh's Siege has no end in sight, and Min Lee has accepted that she will never be part of it. Kenta and Lu Ten's letters, though still constant, are less boisterous. More often these days they write of how long the Siege is, how hard it is to keep up morale in the face of a wall that might never crumble. But they're staying confident and optimistic, doing their best to keep their soldiers motivated and the Siege going steady.

Min Lee knows that they're probably in worse spirits than they've let on. She wonders what their auras look like.

Hopefully they'll break through soon. There's a plan - of course there's a plan, everyone knows there's a plan. Prince Iroh always has a plan. The military has been hoarding and stockpiling blasting jelly for years now. It's only a matter of time before they use it, and it's not hard to imagine what the target might be.

Today isn't a day to be thinking of stubborn cities in far-off countries, though. Today Min Lee has no responsibilities whatsoever, and she's enjoying this freedom by hiking through a part of the coffee forest she's never really explored before. Few people venture this far - the forest grows thick and wild here, unlike the carefully-tended trees nearer to the town and harbor that yield Kohimori's famous coffee crop. Between the untamed forest haunted by ancient spirits and the lava fields that lie only a little farther south, there's little reason for many people to travel this far on Kohimori, not when there are so many more pleasant places on the island. She's been walking for hours down overgrown trails that usually only feel the feet of Night Marchers.

She's not alone. Sunshine travels beside her, floating in her old-fashioned yellow robes. The ghost is quiet as ever, but Min Lee chatters and sings and laughs enough for the both of them, and it makes Sunshine smile. Min Lee can't help but find her to be pleasant company, even for a ghost - something about her presence is comforting, despite her silence. Min Lee wonders if her apparent muteness was a thing while she was alive, or if it has something to do with how she died. It doesn't matter - Sunshine can communicate when she needs to, and the number of times she's alerted Min Lee to oncoming dark spirits or Night Marchers or whatever else are proof enough of that.

Her silence also makes her a good listener - Min Lee has lost track of the number of secrets and confused emotions she's spilled out to the ghost. Sunshine knows all about Min Lee's quarrels with her sisters and the stress she went through at the Academy and how she's starting to feel things for her best friend.

Today, Min Lee talks about the war, and her lack of a place in it.

"So I brought up Nanyue again," Min Lee says, hopping over a fallen tree. "Bad idea, I know. I didn't really want to. I don't think Uncle Shigeru should think about it - anyway. They need help in Nanyue." Iroh's Siege was a major drain on all resources, and troops were no exception. Most of the colonies had been left with a skeleton crew to protect them. "So I said, maybe I should go help in Nanyue. And of course Dad and Uncle Shigeru immediately said no, and that was that." She sighs. "I know it was terrible, I understand that, but it's _not_ anymore. I won't have to deal with the things they did." She resolutely does not think of burning children.

Sunshine gives her a skeptical look, and makes a few flappy motions that she usually reserves for when dark spirits are upon them. Min Lee frowns.

"You think Nanyue has dark spirits?"

Sunshine's expression somehow becomes _even more_ skeptical, and she makes a series of violent hand gestures that include the signs for fire and a slit throat.

Min Lee winces. "Okay," she agrees, "yeah, if it _really_ was as bad as he said, then yes, there'd be a lot of angry spirits there. But maybe that's another reason why I _should_ go! I know how to deal with those!"

Sunshine drops her hands, looking exasperated, and favors Min Lee with an exaggerated eye roll. And then, suddenly, she freezes in her metaphorical tracks, floating in place.

"What?" Min Lee asks immediately, stopping just a step later. "What is it?"

Normally Sunshine stopping so suddenly is bad news - it means she's sensed something dangerous, and that Min Lee needs to get away from it. But Sunshine elaborates when there's danger and does her best to guide people away from it, and right now she's doing neither. She's just standing perfectly still, staring past Min Lee, farther into the forest. She looks shocked. And lost.

Min Lee frowns, but then she suddenly registers the faint sound of ocean waves at the very edge of her hearing. She turns towards it, towards the direction Sunshine is staring in, and she grins. "Hey! We found the eastern edge of the island!"

Sunshine doesn't move. Min Lee gives her a once-over.

"Are you alright?"

Sunshine finally looks at her.

"...Is anything going to eat me if I go that way?" Min Lee asks, pointing.

Sunshine slowly shakes her head.

"Great," Min Lee grins, and she heads off through the trees toward the sound of crashing waves. Sunshine doesn't follow her.

The noise gets louder the farther Min Lee walks, and after a minute she sees a break in the trees up ahead. As she draws closer, she sees that it's the edge of both the forest and the island - the treeline stops abruptly at a wide expanse of hard rock that only the most stubborn of grasses can grow on, which goes on for a few hundred more feet before eventually dropping into a cliff, and Min Lee can see the ocean sparkling beyond that - but she can't get up close to look down at the waves right this second, because there's a massive hole in the way.

She blinks down at it, surprised. The hole is maybe thirty feet in diameter, but the space beneath it is far larger - a massive cave lit only by a single skylight. Min Lee can see water at the bottom, and some rocky sandbars, and a line of protruding stones circling up and around the stone walls looking suspiciously like stairs before disappearing into a side cave.

She's seen something much like this before, and she grins, delighted. "A cenote! I didn't know there were any on Kohimori!" There are many such sinkholes dotted all over the Fire Nation - ancient pits formed when softer stone collapses to reveal the groundwater beneath. The water is fresh, good for drinking and lovely to swim in - but Min Lee notes the waves rushing into this cenote through a massive hole in its side, leading right out into the ocean. Probably not good for drinking, but it might still be fun to swim, if she can figure out how to get down.

This cenote must be very old, she thinks, if the ocean has eroded its way into its side. Min Lee wonders what its history is. Some of the Fire Nation's better-known cenotes are known to have been sacred to the Sun Warriors. Some had even been used in sacrificial rituals and still cradled skeletal remains in their pools. Min Lee edges her way around the cenote's opening, intending to peer inside from every possible angle, idly wondering if the place had maybe been important to the Night Marchers who still roam the island. She steps over a patch of rocky ground that appears no different from the rest -

She's suddenly hit by an overwhelming sense of _fear pain no please fear pain pain - it's okay, it's okay, just don't hurt them, please please please don't - no - please - why is this happening - no please pain pain pain PAIN_ _ **PAIN BURNING IT BURNS IT BURNS PLEASE -**_

Min Lee has fallen to the ground with the shock of it all, thankfully _not_ into the hole, and she yanks herself away from the scarred place with a cry, scrambling backwards towards the treeline. The feelings don't go away, not completely, but they die down to mere whispers in Min Lee's senses rather than tortured shrieking.

A moment later, her vision is obscured by washed-out yellow, and she blinks up into the eyes of a worried ghost. "Sunshine…?"

Sunshine stares down at her, sad and regretful and anxious.

Min Lee looks herself over. "I'm okay," she says, sitting up a bit. Sunshine frets, but Min Lee gives her a reassuring wave. "I'm alright." She closes her eyes and breathes deeply, centering herself. When she feels balanced, she opens her eyes again and really _looks_ at the place.

The energy here is terrible. Min Lee wonders how she didn't notice before - probably because she was too preoccupied with the cenote. The entire cliffside is awash in darkness and sadness and despair, and also a strange sense of resignation. Is it always this awful? Or is it maybe just a temporal phase? Min Lee has never been here before, so she has no basis for comparison, but last night had been both a full moon and a Night Marcher night, so the Spirit and Physical Realms are still close enough for the residual energies to be so strong…

It might help, of course, if she knew what those residual energies _were._

"What happened here?" Min Lee asks, pushing to her feet. She looks the area over again, in the physical sense this time, but nothing is amiss. The plants are growing without issue, green and healthy, and the rocks are strong and steady. The cliffside is stable. She tries to think if anyone has ever mentioned anything ever happening in this particular patch of forest, but her memory comes up empty.

Cautiously, Min Lee steps back into the epicenter of emotion, right at the edge of the cenote. It's easier to handle now that she's ready for it, but she doesn't feel anything different the second time around - just pain and fear and desperation. She steps back out, frowning, and looks at Sunshine.

The ghost is staring at the offending patch of ground, perfectly still.

"...Sunshine?" Min Lee asks. "What's wrong?"

Sunshine doesn't move, so Min Lee carefully walks around her to meet her eyes, and the expression on her face…

Min Lee has to look away. She's seen Sunshine look sad before - friendly though she is, it's not a surprising for her. Ghosts usually are melancholy, when they aren't outright murderous. But she's never seen Sunshine look so _wretched._

She gives the ghost a moment, and takes the time to look back down into the cenote. It's a lovely, dangerous view - it's a straight drop fifty feet down into the basin below, where the saltwater surges into the cave to roil amongst jagged rocks and the waves crash against the stone. Min Lee watches the turquoise water heave and sway and the white foam accumulate with every splash, and offhandedly she thinks _It would be a very painful death to fall down there._

And a moment later, just as offhandedly, _She was already dead when she fell._

Min Lee frowns at the sudden thought. She doesn't know where it came from, who it pertains to, or what it means. Very slowly, she edges away from the cenote, back toward the forest, her desire to view the ocean over the cliffside suddenly forgotten. She shivers slightly, and wraps her arms around herself.

She's been in haunted places before, but something about this one is seriously creeping her out.

"Hey, Sunshine?" she calls. The ghost finally moves - shakes herself out of whatever reverie she's in and looks at Min Lee. "I think I'm ready to go home. Did you want to come with?"

The ghost is immediately at Min Lee's side, and it makes her smile. Sunshine determinedly turns her back on the cenote and heads into the forest alongside Min Lee, and Min Lee immediately picks up the chatter again, trying to get them both back into good spirits, pun maybe intended. It really isn't necessary for Sunshine to escort her home. It isn't exactly necessary for Min Lee to invite Sunshine home, either - the ghost comes and goes as she pleases. But she thinks it does Sunshine some good to be invited, to know she's wanted, to know that people care about her, whoever she is.

Min Lee doesn't know much of anything about Sunshine - not her name, not her age, not the time period she comes from, not her reasons for haunting Kohimori's ruling family, not her reasons for having that haunting be so friendly and polite and helpful. Sunshine is a _nice_ ghost, not vengeful in the slightest, and Min Lee finds that fact to be odder than ever now, considering what she's just found.

Min Lee takes one last glance back towards the cenote's edge before it disappears amongst the trees. She thinks she knows who died there.

* * *

 **Annnnnd there's that then. Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review if you're so inclined, you know I love those.**

 **One chapter left. One more year to go...**

 **Fun fact: When I originally wrote this chapter, there wasn't a cenote - just an odd, haunted patch of earth at the edge of the cliff. Then I watched Coco. Now it's a cenote.**

 **Cenotes, if you are not aware, are holes in the earth where the soft limestone has been eroded away, leaving behind a cave, often with a pool of water in the bottom. They are very pretty and you should totally look up pics. There's lots of them scattered all over Central America and they were often used by the native peoples as sources of water. Some of them were used for sacrifices and still have ancient skeletons at the bottom.**


	8. Age Twenty

**I am...so sorry this took so long. Between work and the Avatar Rewatch and the fact I couldn't get the dialogue to work the way I wanted it to and my habit of losing my sense of time, I just...took a few weeks. Sorry about that!**

 **So here we go - the last chapter of Dutiful!**

 **Warnings for Shigeru and PTSD and what a sense of superiority does to people and child death/harm and everything else that went down in Nanyue.**

 **Enjoy!**

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When Min Lee is twenty, Iroh's Siege ends. The Fire Army finally breaks through Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall, but in the end that's all they manage to do.

Kenta comes back from the war, minus a leg and consciousness. He lies senseless in bed, completely oblivious to the world around him. His aura is a mess, and there's something wrong with his spirit itself, but he's still breathing and Min Lee tells herself it could be worse.

Lu Ten doesn't come back at all, not even in an urn.

It isn't the only change she has to deal with. In a very short time, the Fire Nation has experienced many major upheavals. The death of their prince and the end of the Siege is only the beginning - shortly afterwards comes the news of Prince Iroh's disappearance, and then Fire Lord Azulon dies in his sleep - old age, most likely, but some say that it's heartbreak, that he couldn't live with Iroh's abandonment. In a shocking twist, Prince Ozai is suddenly crowned Fire Lord - a last-minute change in Fire Lord Azulon's will, likely brought on by his disappointment in Prince Iroh. Sometime in the chaos, Princess Ursa disappears.

The entire situation makes Min Lee uneasy, because while she can believe Fire Lord Azulon is dead - the man was ninety-four, after all - his sudden change of heirs is hard to swallow. Fire Lord Azulon had always been a practical man, and Prince Ozai is...not. It's hard to imagine Fire Lord Azulon naming Prince Ozai as his heir, despite Prince Iroh's disappearance. Once, on a sunny afternoon on Kohimori, Lu Ten had discussed his uncle's blatant and poorly-executed attempts at political games and battle strategy, and his grandfather's obvious dislike of both. They'd been drinking tea together in the garden, far from the intrigues of the Fire Court, so far removed from the ridiculousness of the situation, and the more he explained his uncle's political failings, the more Lu Ten had laughed.

Lu Ten is dead now. So is Fire Lord Azulon. And Prince Iroh is gone. In a very short amount of time, everyone who had stood in Prince Ozai's way suddenly isn't, and he's the Fire Lord. He doesn't even seem concerned with the whereabouts of his wife.

The political puzzle is adding up in very disconcerting ways, and Min Lee isn't sure whether to hope that she's just seeing things, or that she isn't the only one who's seeing them.

In the end, the latter proves to be true.

Min Lee is sitting at Kenta's bedside, reading a trade report out loud in the vague hopes of rousing him. It's not working, and she wonders if she should switch to something less boring - but last time she'd thought that, she'd only made it through five sentences of Love Amongst the Dragons before breaking down. She misses Lu Ten. She sticks to the trade report.

Sunshine is hovering nearby. The ghost has been fretful ever since Kenta had come home, and she seems to have appointed herself his guardian, staying by his side day and night. Min Lee isn't sure what Sunshine is protecting him from, but she's grateful for whatever assistance she's providing. The nation's entire atmosphere has turned gloomy and Min Lee can feel the negative energy circling them in. There's probably plenty of dark things out there that'd be interested in a comatose human.

Min Lee is halfway through summarizing Kohimori's gross domestic coffee product when Uncle Shigeru suddenly appears in the doorframe. He looks to his son first, and, upon finding no change in Kenta's condition, turns his gaze to Min Lee.

"We need to talk," he says - the same words he said two years ago, but this time his voice is steady and his aura is a firm, resolute red. He's holding an enormous pot of coffee.

Sensing that the following conversation is going to be important, Min Lee folds up the trade report. "About what?"

"About - " Uncle Shigeru takes another look at his son, grimaces, and steels himself, " - everything. Nanyue. The war. The...the way things are going to be different, now, with...Fire Lord Ozai." The last three words leave his mouth with a grimace, and they make Min Lee wince. "There's a lot I have to tell you, Min...but I need you to _listen."_

Min Lee looks down at Kenta, lying still on the bed. She thinks of Lu Ten, who's died and taken the Fire Nation's entire planned future with him. In the corner of her eye, she sees a wisp of yellow in the windowsill, and she turns her head to see Sunshine watching her expectantly.

Min Lee takes a breath. "Do you want to play pai sho while we talk?" she asks, gesturing at the board on Kenta's bedside table. Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko and Father have all been playing each other while taking turns keeping vigil. This feels like a redo of the terrible conversation Min Lee and Uncle Shigeru had had two years ago, and...well, if it's a redo, might as well redo it completely.

"Yes," Uncle Shigeru nods as he comes into the room, "that would be nice - oh," he adds, as Sunshine suddenly fades into the sunbeams. The last Min Lee sees of her is an encouraging smile. Uncle Shigeru blinks at the empty space the ghost leaves behind, and then he snorts and shakes his head. "Well, that's fine. Agni knows she's heard all this from me before."

"You talk to her a lot," Min Lee observes, getting up from her seat.

"She's my greatest confidant. And she can't even go spreading all my secrets."

"For all we know, she can talk in the Spirit World, and everyone there knows all our gossip."

Uncle Shigeru chuckles. "Even if that's true, it hasn't caused us any trouble yet."

They pull the table out so they can sit on either side of it, and Min Lee pours out coffee while Uncle Shigeru sets up the board and divvies up the pieces. "You go first," he tells her, and Min Lee chooses her spring flowers. Jasmine, rhododendron, and chrysanthemum grace the board, Uncle Shigeru mirroring her every placement. When the board is set, Min Lee sets down another jasmine tile, and they begin to play.

"So," Uncle Shigeru begins, putting down a wheel tile, "our family has always supported Prince Iroh."

"Ever since Grandma," Min Lee nods as she moves her chrysanthemum. Her fingers grow stiff around the piece as she places it down. "Uncle - when Prince Iroh returns - what are we going to - ?"

"I've been thinking about that," Uncle Shigeru says tiredly as he moves his rhododendron. "Whether we bow to Fire Lord Ozai, or support Prince Iroh when he tries to retake the throne."

"Grandma _ended_ that civil war," Min Lee says. "Are...are we going to have to start another one?"

"Could you support Fire Lord Ozai?" Uncle Shigeru asks.

Min Lee grimaces as she places a rose tile on the board. "He's not supposed to _be…"_ She thinks of Lu Ten and sighs. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"No," Uncle Shigeru says quietly. "It wasn't. In so many ways, it...it shouldn't be like this." He's contemplating a white jade piece. "The world is so out of balance, Min."

She takes a breath. "I suppose...getting Prince Iroh on the throne would...help." It wouldn't fix everything. It wouldn't bring Lu Ten back. But…

"That's not what I meant, actually," Uncle Shigeru says, twirling the white jade piece between his fingers. "Though you're right - getting Iroh on the throne and Ozai off of it would be for the best. But I don't think it'll put the world back in order." He frowns as he puts the piece down. "I'm not sure if _anything_ can put the world back in order. We've been at war too long."

Min Lee shoots him a look as she moves her rose tile, preparing to harmonize it with her chrysanthemum. "Uncle Shigeru, you're not...fond...of the war. Are you." It's not a question. She's seen it in his aura for years. She's just never wanted to acknowledge it.

"No," he says tiredly, placing a stone piece between her rose and chrysanthemum. "No, I'm not."

" _Why?"_

His eyes flicker to Kenta's still form on the bed, and then he gives her a sad look. "Answer me truthfully, Min," he says. "Are _you?"_

She stiffens, because she knows how she should answer that question. The board sits between them, but she's barely paying the game any attention anymore. "I…" Her cousin is hurt. Her best friend is _dead._ "It's…" It was an occupational hazard and a known risk. She isn't sure if that knowledge makes her feel better or not. She places down her white dragon piece without really thinking about it. "The Great March is...it's what the world needs. We need to keep it going."

"Do we?" Uncle Shigeru asks, moving one of his flowers.

" _Yes,"_ she snaps as she moves one of her own, because what else can she say? Her cousin is hurt. Her best friend is _dead._ She can't let their sacrifices be in vain.

"Min," Uncle Shigeru says, placing a boat tile on the board, "I'll ask again - what do you think? Do you _like_ this war?"

She presses her lips together and moves another flower without really thinking about it. She knows how she _should_ answer that question. She doesn't know how she _wants_ to.

"It's alright," Uncle Shigeru says, "if you're not sure yet. I've been there. After Nanyue, I wasn't sure about _anything."_ He picks up his cup of coffee and takes a sip.

Min Lee takes a deep breath. "You told me Nanyue was...terrible."

" _Terrible_ is too weak a word," Uncle Shigeru says tiredly. He picks up a knotweed piece and turns it between his fingers. "I saw entire mountainsides go up in flames. The ash was as thick as mud, and the river...ran red." His eyes go distant. "Do you know how much blood that _takes?"_

"A lot?" she hazards.

"A lot." He stares into his coffee. In his other hand, the knotweed tile is in a never-ending revolution. "We claim that the Great March is the Fire Nation's gift to the world and that it's our duty to see it through, but… In Nanyue we didn't stop the fighting after defeating the army. We took it to the civilians, and we were brutal. We tortured people for the fun of it. We killed their _children._ We… _I…"_ He trails off, eyes going distant.

"Uncle?" Min Lee asks gently.

He shakes himself out of it and frowns back down at his coffee. "I saw so many crimes against humanity in Nanyue, Min. We didn't stop until there was nothing left. By the time we were done with the place, the energy there, it…it was pain and anger and grief. Everywhere. Never ending. Worse than a vampire. Worse than an _army_ of vampires." He takes notice of the knotweed piece in his hand and, after a moment of contemplation, places it down.

Min Lee allows a moment of silence. "Nanyue was a special case though, wasn't it?" she asks. She idly moves a jasmine tile. "Fire Lord Azulon wanted it dealt with permanently. Surely not _all_ campaigns are that bad."

"I don't think any other campaign was as bad as Nanyue," Uncle Shigeru agrees, contemplating the board before placing his own white dragon tile. "But the things that happened there happen in other places too, Min. Just because they're on a lesser scale, that doesn't make it better."

She grimaces. "Alright," she says quietly, moving her jasmine piece again. Uncle Shigeru's white dragon piece captures it easily and she can't bring herself to care. "I can agree it was horrible. But...Uncle, they…" It's a reflex - she needs to have a defense. The Great March is the Fire Nation's gift to the world. It can't be wrong. But Uncle Shigeru's aura speaks the truth, and all Min Lee can come up with is, "They weren't _our_ people."

Uncle Shigeru looks up at her. "You're right," he agrees. "They weren't." He leans forward. "Do you want to know what Nanyue did to _our_ people, Min?"

She blinks. "We...we won, it was a victory. It didn't do anything."

"Oh?" he asks, and he gestures to himself.

Min Lee is silent.

"I watched people I liked, people I _respected,_ turn into people I couldn't," Uncle Shigeru says tiredly. "Friends. Fellow soldiers. My own superiors. We had complete control, and we used it to brutalize people. Do you know what having that kind of power _does_ to a person? The men I served with - they were good people. _Normal_ people. We went through training together, we went out drinking and joking and slogging through the jungle together, we talked about how we wanted to bring glory and honor to the Fire Nation. And then we went to Nanyue, and I watched them cut down defenseless people in the street and laugh about it afterwards." He fumbles for his cup and brings it to his lips for a sip of coffee. "When I was your age, I never would've thought I'd do something like that. To soldiers, sure, but to civilians...? But we _did_ do those things. I watched friends become terrible people. Their auras were hideous, and the entire landscape was drenched in pain… And no one seemed to notice how _wrong_ it was."

"Your troops didn't have spirit sight," Min Lee says, putting down a lily tile.

"Not being able to see auras isn't an excuse. We did _terrible_ things, because we _could,_ and because no one stopped us. I saw what Nanyue did to _us,_ at the _spiritual_ level. We lost ourselves and became the worst we could be." He grimaces. "And that was just _one campaign._ The war has lasted nearly a century. Sometimes I wonder what it's done to the _Fire Nation_ in all that time."

"But we're the strongest nation in the _world,"_ Min Lee protests, quietly. She barely notices him capturing her lily. "The Great March has - has given us land, and technological advancements, and wealth, and - "

"The dragons are _extinct,_ Min. The Fire Sages serve the Fire Lord directly. Our nation's spirituality has declined with every decade. And not just ours - the world is out of balance."

"How is the _world_ out of _balance?_ I've never felt anything wrong about it!"

"You and I have never known a world without the war, Min. We wouldn't know what _balance_ looks like. But it's not a stretch to imagine something's wrong. We're missing an entire _elemental population."_

"What - the Airbenders?" Min Lee squawks.

"The Airbenders," Uncle Shigeru nods. "Four elements, but only three peoples. Unbalanced."

"If the Airbenders hadn't been wiped out, we would never - "

"I'm pretty sure there were children in those temples."

"Fire Lord Sozin had to get rid of the Avatar - "

"The Avatar would have been _twelve."_

"They had to be wiped out, they - "

"I'm not sure I trust anything our people say about Airbenders."

Min Lee scowls at him. "Why _not?"_

"Well," Uncle Shigeru says, "I certainly don't trust anything we say about _Nanyue."_

Min Lee falls silent. She looks down at the board and blinks at all the pieces on it - so many are his, so few are hers. When did that happen? She's been so focused on the conversation she barely remembers making any moves. It's her turn, she realizes. She moves her white dragon tile and captures his stone piece, but it's a measly victory with how poorly she's playing.

"We've spent nearly a hundred years fighting and conquering and _killing,_ and we haven't spared ourselves in the process. The original firebenders are gone. The Fire Sages are more political than spiritual - they agreed to _crown Ozai,_ for spirits' sakes. We've sacrificed so much of our own culture for the sake of this war. Even if you're not sure how you feel about the rest of the world," Uncle Shigeru says gently, "you can't deny the fact that this war is terrible for _our_ nation, too."

"...But we're _winning,"_ she whispers.

"Are we?" Uncle Shigeru asks, and his white dragon piece captures hers, using an opening she hadn't noticed she'd been vulnerable to. "And if we are, is what we're winning worth whatever we're losing?" He glances towards Kenta.

Min Lee looks down at her coffee, feeling as though she's staring over the edge of a cliff. Everything her uncle has spoken of goes against everything she has ever been taught. And yet - and yet - and _yet -_

He's telling the truth. She can see it. He isn't lying and he's not deluded. He honestly believes everything he's said. And despite the fact that everything he's said should be cause for despair, his aura is a reassuring rainbow - resolute red, calming blue, focused yellow, strong amber, balanced green.

"What are you planning, Uncle?" Min Lee asks quietly. He looks back at her, and she continues, "When Prince Iroh returns...with Ozai on the throne...what are you going to do?"

"That, I'm not so sure yet," he says. He looks down at the board, and neatly captures one of her chrysanthemum tiles. "Whatever we end up doing is going to depend on the exact situation we find ourselves in at the time. We'll have to wait and watch and make decisions when the time comes."

"But you're planning something," she insists, idly moving her wheel tile and barely regretting it when he immediately captures it with his white dragon. "You're planning _something,_ and you want me to help you."

"Yes," he agrees, "but I also want to help _you."_ He gives her a sad look. "I...I'm so sorry about Lu Ten, Min."

She presses her lips together tightly and keeps her eyes on the board. "I think you just won," she murmurs. Uncle Shigeru follows her gaze. Taking out her wheel tile had let his rhododendron harmonize with his jasmine, and left her with too few tiles remaining to make any harmony chains herself.

"Oh," he says. "So I did."

Min Lee blinks furiously and busies herself with putting away the pai sho tiles. She takes a shaky breath. "I still have a hard time believing he's gone." He's been gone for _two years,_ after all. It's easy to forget he just...isn't coming back.

"I know," Uncle Shigeru says gently. "I'm sorry." His eyes trail back towards Kenta. "I tried so hard to protect you kids from the war...and you got hurt by it anyway."

"We knew it was a risk," Min Lee says quietly, but in all honesty she'd never really _believed_ it. Lu Ten was the prince and Kenta was Kenta. The war would hurt other people, but not _them._

Lu Ten is the only member of the royal family to fall in battle in ninety-four years of fighting. Ozai sits on the dragon throne. Min Lee sternly tells herself _not_ to follow that train of thought.

"It wasn't a risk I wanted to take," Uncle Shigeru says. "I didn't want to sacrifice anything else to a war I don't think is worth it. Lord Akihiko and Lady Mika lost their standing with Fire Lord Sozin. We lost Uncle Toshi at the Battle of Garsai. My mother had to end a civil war as a teenager just to get our clan back on Fire Lord Azulon's good side. I was ordered to kill children. This family's been hurt so much in the last century...and now we've been hurt again." He looks from Kenta back to her. "I don't want to lose anything else to a war that's gone on for far too long, Min."

"So, what?" she asks. "We're just going to...to sit on the sidelines? Not get involved anymore, even if Prince Iroh returns? Kenta gets an honorable discharge, all my sisters will join home guard, and we fade into the background of the court where Fire Lord Ozai won't notice us?"

"No," Uncle Shigeru says, helping her put away the last of the pai sho tiles. "We're nobles, Min, we don't have that luxury. We can't just...not do anything. We need to protect our family and Kohimori. But if I have to fight, I'm fighting for what I believe in. And I believe this war should have ended long ago."

She gapes. " _Uncle - "_

"I'm tired of living with the knowledge that children are out there _dying,"_ he says. "Both ours _and_ theirs. I want it to _end,_ Min."

"But - Prince Iroh - "

"We'll see what happens, _if_ Prince Iroh returns," Uncle Shigeru says. "But in the meantime, we will _not_ be supporting Ozai. I can't, Min. I'm tired of watching this nation sacrifice itself for a war that's gone on long enough. I can't watch the world burn anymore, and Ozai was only ever good at burning things."

"Like bridges," Min Lee mutters.

"Yes," Uncle Shigeru says, voice hushed. "Min, listen - you've always wanted to be involved, and I've always wanted to keep you safe from a war that wasn't worth your service. But you're older now, and...with everything that's happened, I hope you understand where I'm coming from. I didn't want you to go off and fight...but I'm much more comfortable inviting you to get involved with _this."_

"What - _seriously?"_ she nearly snaps, but she doesn't. " _Now?"_

Uncle Shigeru's eyes flicker back towards Kenta. "Yes," he says quietly. "Now. It's a dangerous political game we're going to be playing, Min."

"Family tradition, I guess," she says.

"Yes. Except unlike my mother, I'd rather not keep secrets if I can help it. I want you to understand. And if you're willing, I'd appreciate your help. Right now, the Fire Nation is in the middle of a political nightmare. If we're going to survive it, let alone _win..._ I need this family to _work together."_ He looks down at the board. "I need us to support each other and move strategically together. Like a well-played pai sho set."

"And play for our own team," she surmises. "Not the Fire Lord's."

"Yes."

Growing up in the Fire Court, Min Lee had often heard politics described as a game, but she's never considered herself much of a player. She'd been prepared to be, of course - but being friends with the Fire Prince and the daughter of an upstanding, respected family, she'd never _had_ to be. Games weren't necessary when you were in the Fire Lord's favor, when you were best friends with his grandson, when you had no reason to _scheme._

Lu Ten is dead. Fire Lord Azulon is dead. Fire Lord Ozai is a very different man than his father was.

Min Lee stares down at the gameboard and feels as though she's standing at the edge of a precipice. "So," she says, "what piece do you expect _me_ to play?"

The pai sho board lies empty between them, the game long finished. Uncle Shigeru looks down at the pieces they've neatly sorted back into their respective boxes. He plucks a single tile from its resting place and holds it up so she can see the mother-of-pearl inlaid in the shape of a flower on the cherrywood disk.

"Well," he says as he places the tile at the center of the board, "have you ever heard of the white lotus gambit?"

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 **Annnnnnnd there we go! I hope you guys liked this story - please leave a review if you did! Even if you're reading this years in the future! Yes, you! I love feeling appreciated, please let me know if you like my stuff!**

 **I know we still have a lot of loose ends here, but this story was about Min Lee growing up and figuring out the best way she can serve her nation in this war. She's got a better idea of that now - honestly working against Ozai and his terrible attempt to run a country is a national service - but we still have a lot more ground to cover. Kenta's coma, Sunshine's backstory, whatever the heck happened with Grandma Masami and Great-Great-Grandparents Akihiko and Mika, and, of course, OWL business. And also a decent explanation for why Ty Lee doesn't seem to know her family's political alignment. So please rest assured that there will be more Kohimori-based stories in the future! I have a lot of plans for these guys!**

 **I did my best with the pai sho game, ahaha. I'm learning to play pai sho myself now, though! Amazing fan SkudPaiSho made a WEBSITE where you can play PAI SHO! You should check it out! It's at skudpaisho dot com**

 **And if you'd rather play in the physical world, SkudPaiSho ALSO has a store where you can purchase actual laser-carved wooden pai sho sets! You can find them at skudpaisho dot ecwid dot com**

 **They're beautiful and once I have a house I'm buying them ALL.**

 **If you guys want to see more of me, please check out my ATLA tumblrs at caelum-in-the-avatarverse and gilded-green.**

 **And that'll be all for now. Until the next fic! 3**


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